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^E-UBBABYOA 


FIVE  LITTLE 
PEPPERS  MIDWAY 


A  SEQUEL  TO 

Five  Little  Peppers  and  How  They  Grew 

BY 

MARGARET     SIDNEY 

Author  of  "  Our  Town,"   "  The  Golden  West," 
"  What  the  Seven  Did,"  and  others 


ILLUSTRATED    BY    W.    L.    TAYLOR 

LOTHROP    PUBLISHING   UOMPANY 

BOSTON 


COPYRIGHT,  1890  and  1893 
D.  LOTHROP  COMPANY. 


All  rights  reserved. 


PZ 

1 


TO 
MY   LITTLE    MARGARET 

WHO    IS    PHRONSIE    PEPPER    TO    ALL 

WHO   KNOW    HER 
THIS     BOOK     IS    LOVINGLY     INSCRIBED 


661673 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 
PHRONSIE'S  PIE g 

CHAPTER   II. 

COUSIN   EUNICE  CHATTERTON        ....  33 

CHAPTER   III. 

THE   REHEARSAL 50 

CHAPTER   IV. 

WELCOME    HOME  ! 69 

CHAPTER   V. 

AFTER  THE  PLAY 95 

CHAPTER   VI. 

THE   LITTLE   BROWN   HOUSE  .  .  .  .  Il6 

CHAPTER   VII. 

OLD  TIMES  AGAIN 136 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

SOME   BADGERTOWN   CALLS 159 

3 


4  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   IX. 

A   SUDDEN    BLOW 178 

CHAPTER   X. 

THE   PARTY   SEPARATES  .  .  .  .  .  197 

CHAPTER   XI. 
POOR  POLLY! 215 

CHAPTER  XII. 

NEW    WORK    FOR    POLLY 236 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

A   PIECE  OF  NEWS 26l 

CHAPTER   XIV. 
MAMSIE'S  WEDDING 280 

CHAPTER   XV. 

MRS.   CHATTERTON   HAS  A   NEW   PLAN  .  .  303 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

WHERE  IS  PHRONSIE? 319 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

PHRONSIE  IS  FOUND 338 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

THE  GIRLS   HAVE  POLLY  AGAIN    ....  359 

CHAPTER   XIX. 

PHRONSIE   IS  WELL  AGAIN 378 


CONTENTS.  5 

CHAPTER    XX. 
THE  SECRET 4°O 

CHAPTER   XXI. 

THE   WHITNEYS'   LITTLE   PLAN      ....  416 

CHAPTER   XXII. 

JOEL 436 

CHAPTER   XXIII. 

OF   MANY  THINGS 460 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 

AWAY 484 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGB. 

The  making  of  the  Pie.          .         .         .         Frontis. 

"  It  must  be  very,  very  full  of  plums,  you  know."  13 

She  put  up  her  eyeglass         .....  23 

"  Make  'em  real  big  live  ones,  do  !  "     .         .         .  45 

Princess  Clotilde 53 

"Look,  Phronsie,  here  goes  in  my  head."    .         .  67 

"  O,  Felicie  !  I  don't  want  that  dress."          .         .  8t 

"  Come,  Phronsie !  Come,  boys !"         .         .         .  71 

Joel  was  chatting  away  to  a  pretty  little  creature  104 

"  O,  Polly  !  how  funny  you  look  sitting  there  !  "  .  1 1 1 

"  Well.  I  declare  !  "  cried  a  voice  above  them      .  123 

,"Good-by,"  sang  out  Joel 134 

The  little  brown  house          .         .         .         .         .  139 

"  We  kept  it  in  the  old  cupboard,"  cried  Joel       .  1 59 

The  ride  in  Deacon  Brown's  wagon      .         .         .  169 

Polly  was  standing  over  her          .         .         .         .  173 

"  How  restful  it  all  is  here."          .        .        .        .  184 

Polly  led  her  mercifully  within 189 

Mrs.  Whitney  ran  to  the  old-fashioned  looking-glass  204 

Polly  stood  quite  still 212 

"  O,  dear  !   I  don't  know  what  will  happen."        .  222 
7 


8  LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

She  went  softly  to  the  sick  room  .        .        .  227 

"  O,  Jasper !    could  you  get  me  a  copy  of  Town 

Talk?" 241 

"  O,  Grandpapa  !   don't  make  me  tell !  "        .         .  257 

"  Come  in  !  "  called  Mr.  King       ....  264 

"Every  thing  is  going,  on  finely,  Polly."        .         .  287 

Polly  turned  a  cold  shoulder  to  him      .         .         .  295 

"  We're  going  to  let  her  be  happy."      .         .         .  302 

"  What  are  you  doing,  Phronsie?"       .         .         .  305 

"  I'll  go,"  said  Phronsie,  with  a  long  sigh      .         .  317 

"  Please  don't  bite  me."         .         .         .         .         .  323 

"  O,  Candace  !  "  exclaimed  Polly,  seizing  the  doll  331 

Her  yellow  hair  floated  from  the  pallid  little  face  347 

"  Now  you  put  your  arms  down,  so."    .         .         .  356 

"  Ain't  he  a  beauty,  though  !  "       .         .         .         .  361 

"  Did  you  tell  Polly  ?  "  cried  Jasper     .         .         .  373 
"  And  so  you  wanted  me,  did  you,  dear  ?  "  cried 

Mr.  King 389 

The  uninvited  guest 397 

He  was  tearing  off  the  rings          ....  403* 

"  I  really  believe  I  can  dance."     ....  413 

"  Don't  touch  me  !  "  said  Polly     ....  426 

"  Now,  then,  tell  mother  all  about  it."          .        .  435 

"  I'd  rather  chop  wood." 452 

"  Thomas,  don't  shoot  —  it's  Van  !"     .         .         .  455 

"  O,  Joey  \  and  mother  was  cross  to  you."    .         .  463 

"  He  said  he  was  going  to  run  off  to  sea."    .         .  474 

With  both  arms  full 492 

"  May  God  bless  Phronsie ! "  .         .         .  507 


FIVE    LITTLE    PEPPERS 
MIDWAY. 


CHAPTER    I. 

PHRONSIE'S  PIE. 

JEFFERSON,"  said  Phronsie,  with  a  grave 
uplifting  of  her  eyebrows,  "I  think  I  will 
go  down  into  the  kitchen  and  bake  a  pie  ;  a  very 
little  pie,  Jefferson." 

"  Bless  you,  Miss,"  replied  the  cook,  showing 
his  white  teeth  in  glee,  "it  is  the  making  of  the 
kitchen  when  you  come  into  it." 

"  Yes,  Jefferson,"  said  Phronsie  slowly,  "  I 
think  I  will  go  down  and  make  one.  It  must 
be  very,  very  full  of  plums,  you  know,"  looking 
up  at  him  anxiously,  "for  Polly  dearly  loves 
plums." 

"  It  shall   be    that    plummy,"  said   Jefferson 
9 


10  PHRONSIE  S    PIE. 

convincingly,  "  that  you'd  think  you  never  saw 
such  a  one  for  richness.  O,  my!  what  a  pie 
that  shall  be!"  exclaimed  the  cook,  shutting  up 
one  eye  to  look  through  the  other  in  a  spasm  of 
delight  at  an  imaginary  pie  ;  "  so  it's  for  Miss 
Mary,  is  it  ?" 

"Yes,"  said  Phronsie,  "it  is.  O,  Jefferson! 
I'm  so  glad  you  like  to  have  me  make  one;" 
she  clasped  her  hands  in  silent  rapture,  and  sat 
down  on  the  lowest  stair  to  think  it  over  a  bit, 
Jefferson  looking  at  her,  forgetful  that  the  under 
cook  was  fuming  in  the  deserted  domains  over 
his  delay  to  return.  At  last  he  said,  bowing 
respectfully,  "  If  you  please,  Miss,  it's  about 
time  to  begin.  Such  a  pie  ain't  done  without  a 
deal  of  care,  and  we'd  best  have  it  a-baking  as 
soon  as  may  be." 

"Yes,"  said  Phronsie,  getting -off  from  her 
stair,  and  surrendering  her  hand  to  his  big 
black  palm,  "  we  ought  to  go  right  this  very 
minute.  But  I  must  get  my  apron  on ; "  she 
stopped  and  looked  down  at  her  red  dress. 


PHRONSIE  S    PIE.  II 

"  Oh !  you  can  take  one  of  my  aprons,"  said 
the  cook,  "  they're  as  fine,  and  big,  and  white, 
and  I'll  just  put  you  in  one  of  'em  and  tie  you 
up  as  snug;  you'll  come  out  as  clean  and  sweet 
when  we're  through,  as  you  are  now,  Miss." 

"  Tie  me  up  ? "  laughed  Phrorisie  in  glee. 
"Oh!  how  nice,  Jefferson.  Do  you  know  I 
love  you  very  much,  Jefferson,  you're  so  very 
good  to  me  ? " 

The  big  fellow  drew  a  long  breath.  "  No, 
Miss,  I'm  big  and  black,  and  just  fit  to  stay 
down-stairs,"  he  managed  to  say. 

"But  I  love  you  better  because  you  are  black, 
Jefferson,"  insisted  Phronsie,  "a  great  deal  bet 
ter.  You  are  not  like  everybody  else,  but  you 
are  just  yourself,"  clinging  to  his  hand. 

"Well,  Miss,  I  ain't  just  fit  for  a  lily  to  touch 
and  that's  the  truth,"  looking  down  at  his  palm 
that  the  small  white  hand  grasped  closely.  "It's 
clean,  Miss,"  he  added  with  pardonable  pride, 
"but  it's  awful  black." 

'•'  1  like  it  better  black,  Jefferson,"  said  Phron- 


12  PHRONSIES    PIE. 

sie  again,  "  really  and  truly  I  do,  because  then  it's 
your  very,  very  own ; "  in  a  tone  that  thrilled  him 
much  as  if  a  queen  had  knighted  him  on  the  spot. 

This  important  declaration  over,  the  two  set 
forth  on  their  way  toward  the  kitchen,  Phronsie 
clinging  to  his  hand,  and  chatting  merrily  over 
the  particular  pie  in  prospect,  with  varied  re- 
marks on  pies  in  general,  that  by  and  by  would 
be  ventured  upon  if  this  present  one  were  a 
success  —  and  very  soon  tied  up  in  one  of  the 
cook's  whitest  aprons  she  was  seated  with  due 
solemnity  at  the  end  of  the  baking  table,  the 
proper  utensils  and  materials  in  delightful  con- 
fusion before  her,  and  the  lower  order  of  kitchen 
satellites  revolving  around  her,  and  Jefferson 
the  lesser  sphere. 

"Now  all  go  back  to  your  work,"  said  that 
functionary  when  he  considered  the  staring  and 
muttered  admiration  had  been  indulged  in  long 
enough,  "  and  leave  us." 

"  I  want  you,"  said  his  assistant,  touching  his 
elbow. 


UST    BE    VERY,    VERY    FULL   OF    PLUMS,   YOU    KNOW. 


PHRONSIF.'S    PIE.  15 

"  Clear  out,"  said  Jefferson  angrily,  his  face 
turned  quite  from  Phronsie. 

But  she  caught  the  tone  and  immediately  laid 
Jown  the  bit  of  dough  she  was  moulding. 

"  Do  go,"  she  begged,  "  and  come  back 
quickly,"  smiling  up  into  his  face.  "See,  I'm 
going  to  pat  and  pat  and  pat,  oh  !  ever  so  much 
before  you  come  back." 

So  Jefferson  ordered  off  the  under  cook,  the 
scullery  boy 'went  back  to  cleaning  the  knives, 
Susan,  the  parlor  maid  who  was  going  through 
the  kitchen  with  her  dustpan  and  broom,  hurried 
off  with  a  backward  glance  or  two,  and  Phronsie 
was  left  quite  alone  to  hum  her  way  along  in 
her  blissful  culinary  attempt. 

"  Bless  me  !  "  exclaimed  a  voice  close  to  her 
small  ear,  as  she  was  attempting  for  the  fifth 
time  to  roll  out  the  paste  quite  as  thin  as  she 
had  seen  Jefferson  do,  "  what  is  this  ?  Bless 
my  soul !  it's  Phronsie  !  " 

Phronsie  set  down  the  heavy  rolling-pin  and 
turned  in  her  chair  with  a  gleeful  laugh. 


1 6  PHRONSIE'S  PIE. 

"  Dear,  dear  Grandpapa  !  "  she  cried,  clasping 
her  floury  hands,  "oh  !  I'm  so  glad  you've  come 
to  see  me  make  a  pie  all  by  myself.  It's  for 
Polly,  and  it's  to  be  full  of  plums ;  Jefferson  let 
me  make  it." 

"Jefferson?  And  where  is  he,  pray?"  cried 
Mr.  King  irately.  "  Pretty  fellow,  to  bring  you 
down  to  these  apartments,  and  then  go  off  and 
forget  you.  Jefferson ! "  he  called  sharply, 
"  here,  where  are  you  ?  " 

"  O,  Grandpapa!"  exclaimed  Phronsie  in  dire 
distress,  "  I  sent  him  ;  Jefferson  didn't  want  to 
go,  Grandpapa  dear,  really  and  truly,  he  went 
because  I  asked  him." 

"If  you  please,  sir,"  began  Jefferson,  hurrying 
up,  "I  only  stepped  off  a  bit  to  the  cellar. 
Bassett  sent  down  a  lot  of  turnips,  they  ain't 
first-rate,  and  "  — 

"  All  right,"  said  Mr.  King,  cutting  him  short 
with  a  wave  of  his  hand,  "if  Miss  Phronsie 
sent  you  off,  it's  all  right ;  I  don't  want  to  hear 
any  more  elaborate  explanations." 


PHRONSIE'S  PIE.  17 

"  Little  Miss  hasn't  been  alone  but  a  few 
minutes,"  said  Jefferson  in  a  worried  way. 

"  And  see,"  said  Phronsie,  turning  back  to 
her  efforts,  while  one  hand  grasped  the  old 
gentleman's  palm,  "  I've  almost  got  it  to  look 
like  Jefferson's.  Almost,  haven't  I  ?  "  she  asked, 
regarding  it  anxiously. 

"It  will  be  the  most  beautiful  pie,"  cried  Mr. 
King,  a  hearty  enthusiasm  succeeding  his  irri- 
tability, "  that  ever  was  baked.  I  wish  you'd 
make  me  one  sometime,  Phronsie." 

"  Do  you  ?  "  she  cried  in  a  tremor  of  delight, 
"  and  will  you  really  have  it  on  the  table,  and 
cut  it  with  Aunt  Whitney's  big  silver  knife  ?" 

"  That  I  will,"  declared  Mr.  King  solemnly. 

"  Then  some  day  I'll  come  down  here  again, 
Jefferson,"  cried  Phronsie  in  a  transport,  "and 
bake  one  for  my  dear  Grandpapa.  That  is,  if 
this  one  is  good.  Oh !  you  do  suppose  it  will  be 
good,  don't  you  ? "  appealingly  at  him. 

"It  shall,"  said  Jefferson  stoutly,  and  seiz- 
ing the  rolling-pin  with  extreme  determination. 


i8  PHRONSIE'S  PIE. 

"  You  want  a  bit  more  butter  worked  in,  here," 
a  dab  with  skillful  ringers,  and  a  little  manipula- 
tion with  the  flour,  a  roll  now  and  then  most 
deftly,  and  the  paste  was  laid  out  before  Phron- 
sie.  "Now,  Miss,  you  can  put  it  in  the  dish." 

"  But  it  isn't  my  pie,"  said  Phronsie,  and,  big 
girl  as  she  felt  herself  to  be,  she  sat  back  in  her 
chair,  her  lower  lip  quivering. 

"  Not  your  pie  ?  "  repeated  the  cook,  bringing 
himself  up  straight  to  gaze  at  her. 

"  No,"  said  Phronsie,  shaking  her  yellow  head 
gravely,  "  it  isn't  my  pie  now,  Jefferson.  You 
put  in  the  things,  and  rolled  it." 

"  Leave  your  fingers  off  from  it,  can't  you  ?  " 
cried  Mr.  King  sharply.  "  Goodness  !  this  pie 
isn't  to  have  a  professional  touch  about  it.  Get 
some  more  flour  and  stuff,  whatever  it  is  you 
make  a  pie  of,  and  let  her  begin  again.  There, 
I'll  sit  down  and  watch  you ;  then  there'll  be 
some  chance  of  having  things  straight."  So  he 
drew  up  a  chair  to  the  side  of  the  table,  first 
calling  off  Pete  the  scullery  boy  from  his  knives 


PHRONSIES    PIE.  19 

*o  corne  and  wipe  it  off  for  him,  and  Mrs.  Tucker 
who  was  in  kitchen  dialect  "Tucker,"  to  see 
that  the  boy  did  his  work  well. 

"La,  bless  you,  sir,"  said  Tucker,  bestowing 
a  final  polish  with  her  apron,  "  'twas  like  satin 
before,  sir  —  not  a  wisp  of  dust." 

"  I  don't  want  any  observations  from  you," 
said  the  old  gentleman,  depositing  himself  in 
the  chair.  "  There,  you  can  go  back  to  your 
work,  Mrs.  Tucker,  and  you  too,  Pete.  Now 
I'll  see  that  this  pie  is  to  your  liking,  Phronsie." 

But  Phronsie  still  sat  back  in  her  chair, 
thoughtfully  surveying  Jefferson. 

"  Grandpapa,"  she  said  at  last  slowly,  "  I 
think  I'd  rather  have  the  first  pie,  I  really 
would,  Grandpapa,  may  I  ? "  She  brought  her 
yellow  head  forward  by  a  sudden  movement, 
and  looked  deep  into  his  keen  eyes. 

"  Bless  my  soul !  rather  have  the  first  pie  ?  " 
repeated  the  old  gentleman  in  astonishment, 
"  why,  I  thought  you  wanted  to  make  one  all 
yourself." 


20  PHRONSIE  S    PIE. 

"  I  think  I'd  rather  do  part  of  it,"  said  Phron- 
sie with  great  deliberateness,  "  then  Polly'll  like 
it,  and  eat  it,  and  I'll  do  yours,  Grandpapa  dear, 
just  as  Jefferson  fixed  mine,  all  alone.  Please 
let  me."  She  held  him  fast  with  her  eyes,  and 
waited  for  his  answer. 

"  So  you  shall !  "  cried  Mr.  King  in  great  sat- 
isfaction, "make  mine  all  alone.  This  one 
would  better  go  as  it  is.  Put  away  the  flour 
and  things,  Jefferson  ;  Miss  Phronsie  don't  want 
them." 

Phronsie  gave  a  relieved  little  sigh.  "And, 
Jefferson,  if  you  hadn't  showed  me  how,  I 
couldn't  ever  in  all  this  world  make  Grand- 
papa's. Now  give  me  the  little  plate,  do." 

"Here  'tis,  Miss,"  said  the  cook,  all  his  tremor 
over  the  blunder  he  had  made,  disappearing, 
since,  after  all,  things  were  quite  satisfactory. 
And  the  little  plate  forthcoming,  Phronsie 
tucked  away  the  paste  lovingly  in  its  depths, 
and  began  the  important  work  of  concocting  the 
mixture  with  which  the  pie  was  to  be  filled,  Mr. 


PHRONSIE  S    PIE.  21 

King  sitting  by  with  the  gravity  of  a  statue, 
even  to  the  deliberate  placing  of  each  plum. 

"Where's  Phronsie  ?  "  called  a  voice  above 
in  one  of  the  upper  halls. 

"Oh!  she's  coming,  Polly  is!"  cried  Phron- 
sie, deserting  a  plum  thrust  in  endwise  in  the 
middle  of  the  pie,  to  throw  her  little  sticky 
ringers  around  Jefferson's  neck ;  "  oh  !  do  take  off 
my  apron;  and  let  me  go.  She'll  see  my  pie  !  " 

"  Stop ! "  cried  Mr.  King,  getting  up  some- 
what stiffly  to  his  feet,  "  I'll  take  off  the  apron 
myself.  There,  Phronsie,  there  you  are.  Whew ! 
how  hot  you  keep  your  kitchen,  Jefferson,"  and 
he  wiped  his  face. 

"  Now  we'll  run,"  said  Phronsie  softly,  "  and 
not  make  a  single  bit  of  noise,  Grandpapa  dear, 
and,  Jefferson,  please  put  on  my  top  to  the  pie. 
and  don't  let  it  burn,  and  I'll  come  down  very, 
very  soon  again,  and  bake  one  all  alone  by  my- 
self for  Grandpapa." 

The  old  gentleman  kept  up  very  well  with  the 
soft  patter  of  her  feet  till  they  reached  the  foot 


22  PHRONSIE  S    PIE. 

of  the  staircase.  "  There,  there,  child,"  he  said, 
"  there's  not  the  least  need  of  hurry  now." 

"  But  she  will  come  down,"  said  Phronsie,  in 
gentle  haste  pulling  at  his  hand,  "  then  if  she 
should  see  it,  Grandpapa !  " 

"To  be  sure;  that  would  indeed  be  dreadful," 
said  Mr.  King,  getting  over  the  stairs  very  cred- 
itably. "  There,  here  we  are  now.  Whew !  it's 
terribly  warm  in  this  house  !  " 

But  there  was  no  danger  from  Polly ;  she  was 
at  this  very  instant,  not  being  able  to  find 
Phronsie,  hurrying  off  toward  the  library  in 
search  of  Mrs.  Whitney. 

"We  want  to  do  the  very  loveliest  thing!" 
she  cried,  rushing  in,  her  cheeks  aflame.  "  Oh  ! 
pray  excuse  me  ;  "  she  stopped  short,  blushing 
scarlet. 

"  Don't  feel  badly,  Polly  dear,"  said  Mrs. 
Whitney,  over  in  the  dim  light  where  the  divan 
was  drawn  up  in  the  east  window,  and  she  held 
out  her  hand  and  smiled  ;  the  other  lady  whose 
tete-a-tete  was  thus  summarily  disturbed  was 


SHE    PUT    UP    HER    EYEGLAS 


PHRONSIES    PIE.  25 

elderly  and  very  tall  and  angular.  She  put  up  her 
eyeglass  at  the  intrusion  and  murmured  "  Ah  ? " 

"This  is  Polly  Pepper,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney, 
as  Polly,  feeling  unusually  awkward  and  shy, 
stumbled  across  the  library  to  get  within  the 
kind  arms  awaiting  her. 

"  One  of  the  children  that  your  kindness  re- 
ceived in  this  house  ? "  said  the  tall  lady,  making 
good  use  of  the  eyeglass.  The  color  mounted 
steadily  on  Polly's  already  rosy  cheek,  at  the 
scrutiny  now  going  on  with  the  greatest  freedom. 

"One  of  the  dear  children  who  make  this 
house  a  sunny  place  for  us  all,"  said  Mrs.  Whit- 
ney distinctly. 

"  Ah  ?  I  see.  You  are  extremely  good  to 
put  it  in  that  way."  A  low,  well-bred  laugh 
followed  this  speech.  Its  sound  irritated  the 
young  girl's  ear  unspeakably,  and  the  brown 
eyes  flashed,  and  though  there  was  really  no 
occasion  to  feel  what  was  not  addressed  to  her, 
Polly  was  quite  sure  she  utterly  disliked  the 
lady  before  her. 


26  PHRONSIE'S  PIE. 

"  My  dear  Mrs.  Chatterton,"  said  Mrs.  Whit- 
ney in  the  gentlest  of  accents,  "  you  do  not 
comprehend ;  it  is  not  possible  for  you  to  under- 
stand how  very  happy  we  all  are  here.  The  house 
is  quite  another  place,  I  assure  you,  from  the 
abode  you  saw  last  before  you  went  abroad." 

Mrs.  Chatterton  gave  another  low,  unpleasant 
laugh,  and  this  time  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  Polly  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney  with  a  smile, 
"  say  good-morning  to  Mrs.  Chatterton,  and 
then  run  away.  I  will  hear  your  wonderful  plan 
by  and  by.  I  shall  be  glad  to,  child,"  she  was 
guilty  of  whispering  in  the  small  ear. 

"Good-morning,  Mrs.  Chatterton,"  said  Polly 
slowly,  the  brown  eyes  looking  steadily  into  the 
travelled  and  somewhat  seamed  countenance 
before  her. 

"Good-morning,"  and  Polly  found  herself 
once  more  across  the  floor,  and  safely  out  in  the 
hall,  the  door  closed  between  them. 

"Who  is  she?"  she  cried  in  an  indignant 
spasm  to  Jasper,  who  ran  up,  and  she  lifted  her 


PHRONSIE'S  PIE.  27 

eyes  brimming  over  with  something  quite  new 
to  him.  He  stopped  aghast. 

"Who?"  he  cried.  "  O,  Polly!  what  has 
happened  ? " 

"  Mrs.  Chatterton.  And  she  looked  at  me 
—  oh!  I  can't  tell  you  how  she  looked;  as  if  I 
were  a  bug,  or  a  hateful  worm  beneath  her," 
cried  Polly,  quite  as  much  aghast  at  herself. 
"It  makes  me  feel  horridly,  Jasper  —  you  can't 
think." 

'  "Oh!  that  old" —  He  stopped,  pulling  him- 
self up  with  quite  an  effort.  "  Has  she  come 
back  —  what  brought  her,  pray  tell,  so  soon  ? " 

"  I  don't  know,  I  am  sure,"  said  Polly,  laugh- 
ing at  his  face.  "  I  was  only  in  the  room  a 
moment,  I  think,  but  it  seemed  an  age  with  that 
eyeglass,  and  that  hateful  little  laugh." 

"  Oh !  she  always  sticks  up  that  thing  in  her 
eye,"  said  Jasper  coolly,  "and  she's  everlast- 
ingly ventilating  that  laugh  on  everybody.  She 
thinks  it  high-bred  and  elegant,  but  it  makes 
people  want  to  kill  her  for  it."  He  looked  and 


28  PHRONSIE'S  PIE. 

spoke  annoyed.  "  To  think  you  fell  into  her 
clutches!"  he  added. 

"  Well,  who  is  she  ?  "  cried  Polly,  smoothing 
down  her  ruffled  feathers,  when  she  saw  the 
effect  of  her  news  on  him.  "  I  should  dearly 
love  to  know." 

"Cousin  Algernon's  wife,"  said  Jasper  briefly. 

"  And  who  is  she  ? "  cried  Polly,  again  experi- 
encing a  shock  that  this  dreadful  person  was  a 
relative  to  whom  due  respect  must  be  shown. 

"  Oh !  a  cousin  of  father's,"  said  Jasper. 
"  He  was  nice,  but  he's  dead." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  Polly. 

"  She's  been  abroad  for  a  good  half-dozen 
years,  and  why  she  don't  stay  there  when  every- 
body supposed  she  was  'going  to,  astonishes 
me,"  said  Jasper,  after  a  moment.  "  Well,  it 
will  not  be  for  long,  I  presume,  that  we  shall 
have  the  honor;  she'll  be  easily  tired  of  America, 
and  take  herself  off  again." 

"  She  doesn't  stay  in  this  house,  does  she, 
Jasper  ? "  cried  Polly  in  a  tone  of  horror. 


PHRONSIES    PIE.  29 

"  No ;  that  is,  unless  she  chooses  to,  then  we 
can't  turn  her  off.     She's  a  relative,  you  know." 
"Hasn't  she  any  home?"  asked    Polly,  "or 
any  children  ? " 

"  Home  ?  Yes,  an  estate  down  in  Bedford 
County  —  Dunraven  Lodge;  but  it's  all  shut 
up,  and  in  the  hands  of  agents  who  have  been 
trying  for  the  half-dozen  years  she  was  abroad, 
to  sell  it  for  her.  She  may  have  come  back  to 
settle  down  there  again,  there's  no  telling  what 
she  will  do.  In  the  meantime,  I  fancy  she'll 
make  her  headquarters  here,"  he  said  gloomily. 
"O,  Jasper!"  exclaimed  Polly,  seizing  his 
arm,  feeling  that  here  was  need  of  comfort  in- 
deed, "how  very  dreadful  !  Don't  you  suppose 
something  will  happen  to  take  her  away  ? " 

"  I  don't  see  what  can,"  said  Jasper,  prolong- 
ing the  gloom  to  feel  the  comfort  it  brought. 
"  You  see  she  has  nobody  who  wants  her,  to 
step  in  and  relieve  us.  She  has  two  nephews, 
but  oh  !  you  ought  to  see  them  fight  together!  " 
"  Fight  ? "  repeated  Polly  aghast. 


30  PHRONSIE'S  PIE. 

"  Yes  ;  you  can't  dignify  their  skirmishes  by 
any  other  name,"  said  Jasper,  in  disgust.  "So 
you  see  our  chances  for  keeping  her  as  long  as 
she  condescends  to  stay,  are  really  very  good." 
Polly  clung  to  his  arm  in  speechless  dismay. 
Meanwhile  conversation  fast  and  brisk  was 
going  on  between  the  two  shut  up  in  the  library. 
"It  is  greatly  to  your  discredit,  Marian,"  said 
Mrs.  Chatterton  in  a  high,  cold  voice,  "  that 
you  didn't  stop  all  this  nonsense  on  your  father's 
part,  before  the  thing  got  to  such  a  pass  as  to 
install  them  in  this  house." 

"  On  the  contrary,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney  with  a 
little  laugh,  "  I  did  everything  I  could  to  further 
the  plan  that  father  wisely  made." 

"  Wisely ! "  cried  Mrs.  Chatterton  in  scorn. 
"  O,  you  silly  child  !  don't  you  see  what  it  will 
all  tend  to  ?  " 

"  I  see  that  it  has  made  us  all  very  happy  for 
five  years,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney,  preserving  her 
composure,  "  so  I  presume  the  future  doesn't 
hold  much  to  dread  on  that  score." 


PHRONSIES    PIE.  31 

"  The  future  is  all  you  have  to  dread,"  de- 
clared Mrs.  Chatterton  harshly.  "  The  present 
may  be  well  enough ;  though  I  should  think 
existence  with  that  low,  underbred  family  here, 
would  be  a  "  — 

"  You  may  pause  just  where  you  are,  Mrs. 
Chatterton,"  said  Marian,  still  with  the  gentlest 
of  accents,  but  with  a  determination  that  made 
the  other  look  down  at  her  in  astonishment, 
"  not  another  word  shall  you  utter  in  that  strain, 
nor  will  I  listen  to  it."  And  with  fine  temper 
undisturbed  in  her  blue  eyes,  she  regarded  her 
relative. 

"  Dear  me,  Marian  !  I  begin  to  notice  your 
age  more  now.  You  shouldn't  fly  into  such  rages ; 
they  wear  on  one  fearfully ;  and  especially  for  a 
stranger  too,  and  against  your  own  people  — 
how  can  you  ?  " 

Mrs.  Chatterton  drew  out  a  vinaigrette,  then 
a  fan  from  a  silken  bag,  with  clasps  that  she 
was  always  glad  to  reflect  were  heirlooms. 
"  It's  trying,  I  must  confess,"  she  declared, 


32  PHRONSIE'S  PIE. 

alternately  applying  the  invigorating  salts  and 
waving  the  combination  of  gauze  and  sandal 
wood,  "to  come  home  to  such  a  reception. 
But,"  and  a  heavy  sigh,  "  I  must  bear  it." 

"You  ought  to  see  father,". cried  Mrs.  Whit- 
ney, rising.  "  I  must  go  at  once  and  tell  him  of 
your  arrival." 

"  Oh !  I  don't  know  as  I  care  about  seeing 
Cousin  Horatio  yet,"  said  Mrs.  Chatterton  care- 
lessly. "  He  will  probably  fall  into  one  of  his 
rages,  and  my  nerves  have  been  upset  quite 
enough  by  you.  I  think  I'll  go  directly  to  my 
apartments."  She  rose  also. 

"  Father  must  at  once  be  informed  of  your 
arrival,"  repeated  Marian  quietly.  "  I'll  send 
him  in  to  see  you." 

"And  I  shall  go  to  my  apartments,"  declared 
Mrs.  Chatterton  determinedly. 

"  Hoity-toity  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  King's  voice, 
and  in  he  came,  with  Phronsie,  fresh  from  the 
kitchen,  clinging  to  his  hand. 


CHAPTER   II. 

COUSIN    EUNICE   CHATTERTON. 

PHRONSIE  dropped  one  small  hand  by 
her  side,  and  stood  quite  still  regarding 
the  visitor. 

"  Oh !  my  goodness  me,"  ejaculated  Mrs. 
Chatterton,  startled  out  of  her  elegance,  and  not 
pausing  to  adjust  the  glass,  but  using  her  two 
good  eyes  to  the  best  advantage. 

"  Hoity-toity  !  So  you  are  back  again  !  "  ex- 
claimed Mr.  King  by  way  of  welcome.  "  Well, 
and  if  I  may  ask,  what  brought  you  now, 
Eunice  ? " 

Mrs.  Chatterton  gathered  herself  up  and 
smiled  in  a  superior  way. 

"  Never  mind  my  reasons,  Cousin  Horatio. 
What  a  fine  child  you  have  there  ;  "  now  the 
33 


34  COUSIN    EUNICE   CHATTERTON. 

glass  came  into  play  ;  "  pray  tell  me  all  about 
her." 

"  You  have  well  said,"  observed  Mr.  King, 
seating  himself  with  the  utmost  deliberateness, 
and  drawing  Phronsie  to  her  accustomed  place 
on  his  knee,  where  she  nestled,  regardless  of  his 
immaculate  linen  and  fine  waistcoat,  "  Phronsie 
Pepper  is  indeed  a  fine  child ;  a  very  fine  child, 
Madam." 

"  Oh  my,  and  oh  my  !  "  cried  Mrs.  Chatterton, 
holding  up  her  hands,  "  to  think  that  you  can  so 
demean  yourself ;  why,  she's  actually  mussing 
your  shirt-front  with  her  dirty  little  hands ! " 

"  Phronsie  Pepper's  hands  are  never  dirty, 
Madam,"  said  the  old  gentleman  gravely.  "  Sit 
still,  child,"  as  Phronsie  in  a  state  of  alarm, 
struggled  to  slip  down  from  his  lap,  thrusting 
the  two  members  thus  referred  to,  well  out  be- 
fore her. 

Mrs.  Chatterton  burst  into  a  loud  laugh.  "To 
think  I  have  come  to  see  Horatio  King  in  such 
a  state  !  Jasper  Horatio  King  ! "  she  repeated 


COUSIN    EUNICE    CHATTERTON.  35 

scornfully.  "  I  heard  about  it  through  the  Bas- 
combs  letters,  but  I  wouldn't  believe  it  till  I 
used  my  eyes.  It's  positively  dreadful !  " 

Mr.  King  put  back  his  head  and  laughed  also  ; 
so  heartily,  that  Phronsie  ceased  to  struggle, 
and  turned  to  regard  him  in  silent  astonish- 
ment ;  and  Mrs.  Whitney,  charmed  that  the  rage 
usually  produced  by  conversation  with  Cousin 
Algernon's  wife  was  not  forthcoming,  began  to 
laugh  too,  so  that  the  amusement  of  the  tall  lady 
was  quenched  in  the  general  hilarity. 

"  What  you  can  find  in  my  words  to  cause 
such  an  unseemly  outburst,  I  cannot  see,"  she 
cried  in  a  passion. 

"  I'm  under  the  impression  that  you  led  off 
the  amusement  yourself,"  said  Mr.  King,  wiping 
his  eyes.  "  Phronsie,  it's  all  very  funny,  isn't 
it  ? "  looking  down  into  the  little  wondering  face. 

"  Is  it  really  funny  ?  "  asked  Phronsie.  "  Does 
the  lady  like  it  ?  " 

"  Not  particularly,  I  suspect,"  said  Mr.  King 
carelessly. 


36  COUSIN    EUNICE   CHAT1  ERTON. 

"  And  that  you  can  talk  with  that  chit,  ignor- 
ing me,  your  cousin's  wife,  is  insufferable." 
Mrs.  Chatterton  now  arose  speedily  from  the 
divan,  and  shook  out  a  flounce  or  two  with 
great  venom,  "  I  had  intended  to  make  you 
a  visit.  Now  it  is  quite  impossible." 

"  As  you  like,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  also 
rising,  and  placing  Phronsie  on  her  feet,  observ- 
ing ostentatious  care  to  keep  her  hand.  "  My 
house  is  open  to  you,  Eunice,"  with  a  wave 
of  his  disengaged  hand  in  old-time  hospitality, 
"  but  of  course  you  must  suit  yourself." 

"  It's  rather  hard  upon  a  person  of  sensibility, 
to  come  home  after  a  six  years'  absence,"  said 
Cousin  Eunice  with  a  pathetic  sniff,  and  once 
more  seeking  her  vinaigrette  in  the  depths  of 
the  silken  bag,  "  to  meet  only  coldness  and 
derision.  In  fact,  it  is  very  hard." 

"  No  doubt,  no  doubt,"  said  the  old  gentleman 
hastily,  "  I  can  imagine  such  a  case,  but  it  has 
nothing  to  do  with  you.  Now,  if  you  are  going 
to  stay,  Eunice,  say  so  at  once,  and  proceed  to 


COUSIN    EUNICE   CHATTERTON.  37 

your  room.  If  not,  why  you  must  go,  and  under- 
stand it  is  no  one's  fault  but  your  own." 

He  drew  himself  up,  and  looked  long  and 
hard  into  the  thin  pale  face  before  him. 
Phronsie  pulled  at  his  hand. 

"  I  want  to  ask  the  lady  to  stay,  Grandpapa 
dear." 

"  She  doesn't  need  urging,"  said  old  Mr.  King 
quite  distinctly,  and  not  moving  a  muscle. 

"  But,  Grandpapa  dear,  she  isn't  glad  about 
something." 

"  No  more  am  I." 

"  Grandpapa,"  cried  Phronsie,  moving  off  a  bit, 
though  not  deserting  his  hand,  and  standing  on 
her  tiptoes,  "  I  want  her  to  stay,  to  see  me. 
Perhaps  she  hasn't  any  little  girls." 

"  To  see  you  ?  "  cried  Mr.  King  irately.  "  Say 
no  more,  child,  say  no  more.  She's  been  abus- 
ing you  right  and  left,  like  a  pickpocket." 

"  What  is  a  pickpocket  ?  "  asked  Phronsie, 
getting  down  from  her  tiptoes. 

"  Oh  !    a  scoundrel  who  puts  his  hands  into 


38  COUSIN    EUNICE    CHATTERTON. 

pockets  ;  picks  out  what  doesn't  belong  to  him, 
in  fact." 

Phronsie  stood  quite  still,  and  shook  her  head 
gravely  at  the  tall  figure.  "  That  was  not  nice," 
she  said  soberly. 

"  Now  do  you  want  her  to  stay  ?  "  cried  the 
old  gentleman. 

"  Insufferable !"  repeated  Mrs.  Chatterton  be- 
tween her  teeth,  "  to  mix  me  up  with  that  chit !  " 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  said  Phronsie  decidedly,  "  I  do, 
Grandpapa.  Now  I  know  she  hasn't  any  little 
girls  —  if  she  had  little  girls,  she  wouldn't  say 
such  very  unnice  things  ;  I  want  the  poor  lady 
to  stay  with  me." 

Mrs.  Chatterton  turned  and  went  abruptly  off 
to  the  door ;  hesitated,  and  looked  back. 

"  I  see  your  household  is  in  a  very  chaotic 
state,  Cousin  Horatio.  Still  I  will  remain  a  few 
days,"  with  extreme  condescension,  "  on  con- 
dition that  these  Peppers  are  not  thrust  upon 
my  attention." 

"  I  make  no  conditions,"  said  the  old  gentle- 


COUSIN    EUNICE    CHATTERTON.  39 

man  coolly.  "  If  you  stay,  you  must  accept  my 
household  as  you  find  it." 

"  Come,  Marian,"  said  Mrs.  Chatterton,  hold- 
ing out  her  hand  to  Mrs.  Whitney.  "  You  may 
help  me  up  to  my  apartments  if  you  like.  I  am 
quite  unstrung  by  all  this,"  and  she  swept  out 
without  a  backward  glance. 

"  Has  she  gone  ?  "  cried  Jasper,  hurrying  in 
with  Polly  running  after.  "  It's  '  stay,'  isn't  it, 
father  ? "  as  he  saw  the  old  gentleman's  face. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  King  grimly,  "  it  is  '  stay  ' 
indeed,  Jasper." 

"  Well,  now  then,  you've  a  piece  of  work  on 
your  hands  about  the  biggest  you  ever  did  yet, 
Polly  Pepper  !  "  cried  Jasper,  "  to  make  things 
comfortable  in  this  house.  I  shall  be  just  as 
cross  as  can  be  imagined,  to  begin  with." 

"  You  cross  !  "  cried  Polly. 

"  Cross  as  a  bear  ;  Marian  will  fight  against 
the  prevailing  ill  wind,  but  it  will  finally  blow 
her  down  to  a  state  of  depression  where  her 
best  friend  wouldn't  recognize  her,  and  "  — 


40  COUSIN    EUNICE    CHATTERTON. 

"  You  don't  mention  me,  my  boy,"  said  Mr. 
King  dryly. 

Jasper  looked  into  his  father's  eyes,  and  they 
both  laughed. 

"  And  if  you,  Polly  Pepper,  don't  keep  things 
bright,  why,  we  shall  all  go  to  the  dogs,"  said 
the  old  gentleman,  sobering  down.  "  So  mind 
you  do,  and  we'll  try  to  bear  Cousin  Algernon's 
relict." 

"I  will,"  said  Polly  stoutly,  though  "  relict " 
sounded  very  dreadful  to  begin  with. 

"  Give  us  your  hand,  then,"  said  Jasper's 
father,  putting  out  his  palm.  "  There  !  "  releas- 
ing it,  "  now  I'm  much  more  comfortable  about 
matters." 

"  And  give  me  your  hand,  Polly,"  cried  Jasper, 
his  own  brown  hand  flying  to  meet  hers. 
"  There  !  and  now  I'm  comfortable  too  !  So 
it's  a  compact,  and  a  sure  one  !  " 

"  And  I  want  to  give  my  hand,"  cried  Phronsie, 
very  much  aggrieved.  "  Here,  Jasper." 

"  Bless  my  soul,  so  you  must !  "  cried  old  Mr. 


COUSIN    EUNICE   CHATTERTON.  4! 

King ;  "  to  think  we  didn't  ask  you  first.  There 
—  and  there  !  " 

"  And,  Phronsie  darling,"  cried  Polly  in  a 
rapture,  "  you  must  promise  with  me,  after  you 
have  with  the  others.  I  couldn't  ever  get  along 
in  all  this  world  without  that." 

So  the  ceremony  of  sealing  the  compact  hav- 
ing been  observed  with  great  gravity,  Phronsie 
drew  a  long  breath,  and  now  felt  that  the  "  poor 
lady  "  might  come  down  at  any  time  to  find  all 
things  prepared  for  her. 

"  Now  tell  our  plan,"  cried  Jasper  to  Polly, 
"  and  put  this  disagreeable  business  out  of  our 
heads.  It's  a  fine  one,"  he  added  to  his  father. 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  cried  the  old  gentleman. 

"  Well,  you  know  Joel  and  Davie  and  Van 
and  Percy  are  coming  home  from  school  next 
week  for  the  Christmas  holidays,"  began  Polly, 
trying  to  still  the  wild  beating  of  her  heart. 

"  Bless  me  !  so  they  are,"  said  Mr.  King. 
"  How  time  flies,  to  be  sure !  Well,  go  on, 
Polly." 


42  COUSIN    EUNICE   CHATTERTON. 

"  And  we  ought  to  do  something  to  celebrate," 
said  Polly,  "  at  least  don't  you  think  so  ? ''  she 
asked  anxiously,  looking  up  in  his  face. 

"  To  be  sure  I  do,"  cried  the  old  gentleman 
heartily.  "  Well,  what  would  you  do,  Polly 
child,  to  show  the  youngsters  we're  proud  of 
them,  and  glad  to  get  them  back  —  hey  ?  " 

"We  want  to  get  up  a  little  play,"  said  Polly, 
"  Jasper  and  I,  and  act  it." 

"  And  have  music,"  cried  Jasper.  "  Polly 
shall  play  on  the  piano.  The  boys  will  be  so 
delighted  to  see  how  she  has  improved." 

"And  Jasper  shall  play  too,"  cried  Polly 
eagerly.  "  O,  Jasper  !  will  you  play  that  con- 
certo, the  one  you  played  when  Mary  Gibbs  was 
here  at  tea  last  week  ?  Do,  Jasper,  do." 

"  That  nearly  floored  me,"  said  Jasper. 

"  No ;  you  said  it  was  Mary's  watching  you 
like  a  lynx  —  you  know  you  did,"  said  Polly, 
laughing  merrily. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  the  old  gentleman. 
"What  next,  Polly?  The  play  is  all  right." 


COUSIN    EUNICE   CHATTERTON.  43 

"  I  should  think  it  was,"  cried  Jasper.  "  It's 
the  Three  Dragons,  and  the  Princess  Clotilde." 

"Oh!  my  goodness,"  ejaculated  Mr.  King, 
"  what  a  play  for  Christmas  Eve  !  " 

"  Well,  you'll  say  it's  a  splendid  hit !  "  cried 
Jasper,  "  when  you  see  it  from  the  private  box 
we  are  going  to  give  you." 

"  So  you  are  intending  to  honor  me,  are  you  ? " 
cried  his  father,  vastly  pleased  to  find  himself  as 
ever,  the  central  figure  in  their  plans.  "  Well, 
well,  I  dare  say  it  will  all  be  as  fine  as  can  be  to 
welcome  these  young  scapegraces  home.  What 
next,  Polly  ? " 

"  It  must  be  kept  a  perfect  surprise,"  cried 
Polly,  clasping  her  hands  while  the  color  flew 
over  her  face.  "  No  one  must  even  whisper  it 
to  each  other,  the  day  before  Christmas  when 
the  boys  get  here,  for  Joel  is  so  very  dreadful 
whenever  there  is  a  secret." 

"  His  capacity  certainly  is   good,"  said    Mr. 
King  dryly.     "  We  will  all  be  very  careful." 
"  And  Phronsie  is  to  be  Princess  Clotilde," 


44  COUSIN    EUNICE   CHATTERTON. 

cried  Jasper,  seizing  her  suddenly,  to  prance 
around  the  room,  just  like  old  times. 

"  O,  Jasper  !  I'm  eight  years  old,"  she  cried, 
struggling  to  free  herself. 

"  Nonsense  !  What  of  it  —  you  are  the  baby 
of  this  household."  But  he  set  her  on  her  feet 
nevertheless,  one  hand  still  patting  the  soft 
yellow  waves  over  her  brow.  "  Go  on,  Polly, 
do,  and  lay  the  whole  magnificence  before 
father.  He  will  be  quite  overcome." 

"That  would  be  disastrous,"  said  Mr.  King  ; 
"  better  save  your  effects  till  the  grand  affair 
comes  off." 

"Jasper  is  to  be  one  of  the  dragons,"  an- 
nounced Polly,  quite  in  her  element,  "  that  is, 
the  head  dragon  ;  Ben  is  to  be  another,  and 
we  haven't  quite  decided  whether  to  ask  Archy 
Hurd  or  Clare  to  take  the  third  one." 

"  Clare  has  the  most  '  go  '  in  him,"  said 
Jasper  critically. 

"  Then  I  think  we'll  decide  now  to  ask  him," 
said  Polly,  "  don't  you,  Jasper  ?  " 


'  MAKE   'EM    REAL    BIG    LIVE  ONES,    DO  , 


COUSIN    EUNICE   CHATTERTON.  47 

"  A  dragon  without '  go  '  in  him  would  be  most 
undesirable,  I  should  fancy.  Well,  what  next  do 
you  propose  to  do,  Polly  ?  "  asked  Mr.  King. 

"  Now  that  we  know  that  you  will  "allow  us  to 
have  it,"  cried  Polly  in  a  rapture,  "  why,  we  can 
think  up  splendid  things.  We've  only  the  play 
written  so  far,  sir." 

"  Polly  wrote  the  most,"  said  Jasper. 

"  O  no,  Jasper !  I  only  put  in  the  bits,"  said 
Polly.  "  He  planned  it  —  every  single  bit, 
Jasper  did." 

"  Well,  she  thought  up  the  dragons,  and  the 
cave,  and  "  — 

"  Oh !  that  was  easy  enough,"  said  Polly,  guilty 
of  interrupting,  "  because  you  see  something 
has  to  carry  off  the  Princess  Clotilde." 

"O,  now!  you  are  not  going  to  frighten  my 
little  girl,"  cried  Mr.  King.  "  I  protest  against 
the  whole  thing  if  you  do,"  and  he  put  out  his 
hand.  "  Come,  Phronsie,"  when,  as  of  old,  she 
hurried  to  his  side  obediently. 

"  Oh !   we  are  going  to  show  her  the  boys,  and 


48  COUSIN    EUNICE   CHATTERTON. 

how  we  dress  them  up  just  like  dragons,"  cried 
Polly,  "  and  while  they  are  prancing  around  and 
slashing  their  tails  at  rehearsal,  I'm  going  to 
keep  saying,  '  that's  nothing  but  Jasper  and 
Ben  and  Clare,  you  know,  Phronsie,'  till  I  get 
her  accustomed  to  them.  You  won't  be  fright- 
ened, will  you,  pet,  at  those  dear,  sweet  old 
dragons  ?  "  she  ended  and  getting  on  her  knees, 
she  looked  imploringly  into  Phronsie's  blue  eyes. 

"  N-no,"  said  Phronsie,  slowly,  "  not  if  they 
are  really  Jasper  and  Ben  and  Clare." 

"  They  really  will  be,"  cried  Polly,  enchanted 
at  her  success,  "  Jasper  and  Ben  and  Clare  ; 
and  they  will  give  you  a  ride,  and  show  you  a 
cave,  oh !  and  perfect  quantities  of  things  ;  you 
can't  think  how  many  !  " 

Phronsie  clapped  her  hands  and  laughed 
aloud  in  glee. 

"  Oh  !  I  don't  care  if  they  are  real  true  dragons, 
Polly,  I  don't,"  she  cried,  dreadfully  excited. 
"  Make  'em  real  big  live  ones,  do  ;  do  make 
them  big,  and  let  me  ride  on  their  backs." 


COUSIN    EUNICE    CHATTERTON.  49 

"  These  will  be  just  as  real,"  said  Polly  com- 
fortingly, "  that  is,  they'll  act  real,  only  there 
will  be  boys  inside  of  them.  Oh!  we'll  have 
them  nice,  dear,  don't  you  fear." 

"  But  I'd  really  rather  have  true  ones,"  sighed 
Phronsie. 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE   REHEARSAL. 

NOW,  Phronsie,"  said  Polly,  on  her  knees 
before  the  Princess  who  was  slowly 
evolving  into  "a  thing  of  beauty,"  "do  hold 
still  just  a  minute,  dear.  There,"  as  she  thrust 
in  another  pin,  then  turned  her  head  critically 
to  view  her  work,  "I  do  hope  that  is  right." 

Phronsie  sighed.  "  May  I  just  stretch  a  wee 
little  bit,  Polly,"  she  asked  timidly,  "before 
you  pin  it  up  ?  Just  a  very  little  bit  ?  " 

"To  be  sure  you  may,"  said  Polly,  looking 
into  the  flushed  little  face  ;  "  I'll  tell  you,  you 
may  walk  over  to  the  window  and  back,  once  ; 
that'll  rest  you  and  give  me  a  chance  to  see 
what  is  the  matter  with  that  back  drapery." 

So  Phronsie,  well  pleased,  gathered  up  the 
5° 


THE    REHEARSAL.  51 

embryo  robe  of  the  Princess  and  moved  off,  a 
bewildering  tangle  of  silver  spangles  and  float- 
ing lace,  drawn  over  the  skirt  of  one  of  Mrs. 
Whitney's  white  satin  gowns. 

"There  ought  to  be  a  dash  of  royal  purple 
somewhere,"  said  Polly,  sitting  on  the  floor  to 
see  her  go,  and  resting  her  tired  hands  on  her 
knees.  "  Now  where  shall  I  get  it,  and  where 
shall  I  put  it  when  I  do  have  it  ? "  She  wrinkled 
up  her  eyebrows  a  moment,  lost  in  thought  over 
the  momentous  problem.  "Oh!  I  know,"  and 
she  sprang  up  exultingly.  "  Phronsie,  won't 
this  be  perfectly  lovely  ?  we  can  take  that  piece 
of  tissue  paper  Auntie  gave  you,  and  I  can  cut 
out  little  knots  and  sashes.  It  is  so  soft,  that 
in  the  gaslight  they  will  look  like  silk.  How 
fine  ! " 

"  Can't  I  be  a  Princess  unless  you  sew  up 
that  purple  paper  ?  "  asked  Phronsie,  pausing 
suddenly  to  look  over  her  shoulder  in  dismay  at 
Polly. 

"Why,  yes,  you  can  be,  of  course,"  said  Polly, 


52  THE    REHEARSAL. 

"  but  you  can't  be  as  good  a  one  as  if  you  had 
a  dash  of  royal  purple  about  you.  What's  a  bit 
of  tissue  paper  to  the  glory  of  being  a  Princess  ?  " 
she  cried,  with  sparkling  eyes.  "  Dear  me,  I 
wish  I  could  be  one." 

"  Well,  you  may  have  it,  Polly,"  said  Phronsie 
with  a  sigh,  "and  then  afterwards  I'll  rip  it  all 
off  and  smooth  it  out,  and  it  will  be  almost 
as  good  as  new." 

"  I  think  there  won't  be  much  left  of  it  when 
the  play  is  over,"  cried  Polly  with  a  laugh; 
"  why,  the  dragons  are  going  to  carry  you  off  to 
their  cave,  you  know,  and  you  a.re  to  be  rescued 
by  the  knight,  just  think,  Phronsie  !  You  can't 
expect  to  have  such  perfectly  delightful  times, 
and  come  out  with  a  quantity  of  tissue  paper  all 
safe.  Something  has  to  be  sacrificed  to  royalty, 
child." 

Phronsie  sighed  again.  But  as  Polly  approved 
of  royalty  so  highly,  she  immediately  lent  her- 
self to  the  anticipations  of  the  pleasure  before 
her,  smothering  all  lesser  considerations. 


THE    REHEARSAL. 


53 


"  When  you  get  your  little  silver  cap  on  with 
one  of  Auntie's  diamond  rings  sewed  in  it,  why, 
you'll  be  too  magnificent  for  anything,"  said 


PRINCESS    CLOTILDE. 


Polly,  now  pulling  and  patting  with  fresh  enthu- 
siasm, since  the  "  purple  dash  "  was  forthcoming. 
"  Princesses  don't  wear  silver  caps  with  dia- 
mond rings  sewed  in  them,"  observed  Phronsie 
wisely. 


54 


THE    REHEARSAL. 


"  Of  course  not ;  they  have  diamonds  by  the 
bushel,  and  don't  need  to  sew  rings  in  their  caps 
to  make  them  sparkle,"  said  Polly,  plaiting  and 
pinning  rapidly,  "  but  in  dressing  up  for  a  play, 
we  have  to  take  a  poetic  license.  There,  turn 
just  one  bit  to  the  right,  Phronsie  dear." 

"  What's  poetic  license  ? "  demanded  Phronsie, 
wrenching  her  imagination  off  from  the  bushel 
of  diamonds  to  seize  practical  information. 

"  Oh !  when  a  man  writes  verses  and  says 
things  that  aren't  so,"  said  Polly,  her  mind  on 
the  many  details  before  her. 

"But  he  ought  not  to,"  cried  Phronsie,  with 
wide  eyes,  "  say  things  that  are  not  so.  I  thought 
poets  were  always  very  good,  Polly." 

"  Oh !  well,  people  let  him,"  said  Polly,  care- 
lessly, "  because  he  puts  it  into  poetry.  It  would 
never  do  in  prose  ;  that  would  be  quite  shocking." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  Phronsie,  finding  the  conversation 
some  alleviation  to  the  fitting-on  process. 

"  Now  this  left  side,"  said  Polly,  twisting  her 
head  to  obtain  a  good  view  of  the  point  in  ques- 


THE    REHEARSAL.  55 

tion,  "  is  just  right ;  I  couldn't  do  it  any  better 
if  I  were  to  try  a  thousand  times.  Why  won't 
this  other  one  behave,  and  fall  into  a  pretty 
curve,  I  wonder  ? " 

Phronsie  yawned  softly  as  the  brown  eyes 
were  safely  behind  her. 

"  I  shall  gather  it  up  anyway,  so,"  and  Polly 
crushed  the  refractory  folds  recklessly  in  one 
hand  ;  "that's  the  way  Mary  Gibbs'  hat  trimmings 
look,  and  I'm  sure  they're  a  complete  success. 
Oh!  that's  lovely,"  cried  Polly,  at  the  effect. 
"  Now  that's  the  treatment  the  whole  drapery 
needs,"  she  added  in  the  tone  of  an  art  connois- 
seur. "  Oh ! " 

A  rushing  noise  announced  the  approach  of 
two  or  three  boys,  together  with  the  barking  of 
Prince,  as  they  all  ran  down  the  wide  hall. 

"  O,  dear,  dear  ! "  exclaimed  Polly,  hurriedly 
pulling  and  pinning,  "there  come  the  boys  to 
rehearse.  It  can't  be  four  o'clock,"  as  the  door 
opened  and  three  members  of  the  cast  entered. 

"It's  quarter-past  four,"  said  Jasper,  laughing 


56  THE    REHEARSAL. 

and  pulling  out  his  watch  ;  "  we  gave  you  an 
extra  fifteen  minutes,  as  you  had  such  a  lot  to 
do.  Dear  me !  but  you  are  fine,  Phronsie.  I  make 
my  obeisance  to  Princess  Clotilde ! "  and  he 
bowed  low  to  the  little  silver  and  white  figure, 
as  did  the  other  two  boys,  and  then  drew  off  to 
witness  the  final  touches. 

"  It's  a  most  dreadful  thing,"  cried  Polly, 
pushing  back  the  brown  waves  from  her  brow, 
as  she  also  fell  off  to  their  point  of  view,  "  to 
get  up  a  princess.  I  had  no  idea  it  was  such  a 
piece  of  work." 

"  You  have  scored  an  immense  success,"  said 
Jasper  enthusiastically.  "  O,  Phronsie !  you 
will  make  the  hit  of  the  season." 

"  You'll  think  it  is  even  much  nicer  when  it 
is  done,"  said  Polly,  vastly  relieved  that  Jasper 
had  given  such  a  kind  verdict.  "  It's  to  have  a 
dash  of  royal  purple  on  that  right  side,  and  in 
one  of  the  shoulder  knots,  and  to  catch  up  her 
train." 

"That  will  be   very  pretty,  I   don't  doubt," 


THE    REHEARSAL.  57 

said  Jasper,  trying  to  resolve  himself  into  the 
cold  critic,  "  but  it  seems  to  me  it  is  almost  per- 
fect now,  Polly." 

"  Oh !  thank  you  so  much,"  she  cried,  with 
blooming  cheeks.  "  How  do  you  like  it,  Clare 
and  Bensie  ?  " 

"  I  can't  tell,"  said  Ben,  slowly  regarding  the 
Princess  on  all  sides  ;  "  it's  so  transforming." 

"  It's  tiptop  !  "  cried  Clare.  "  It  out-prin- 
cesses any  princess  I've  ever  imagined." 

"  Well,  it's  a  perfect  relief,"  said  Polly,  "  to 
have  you  boys  come  in.  I've  been  working  so 
over  it  that  I  was  ready  to  say  it  was  horrid. 
It's  too  bad,  isn't  it,  that  Dick  can't  be  here  to- 
day to  rehearse  his  part  ?  " 

"To  be  sure,"  exclaimed  Jasper,  looking 
around,  "where  is  the  Princess'  page  ?" 

"  He's  gone  to  the  dentist's,"  said  Polly, 
making  a  wry  face.  "  Auntie  had  to  make  the 
appointment  for  this  afternoon,  and  we  couldn't 

put  off   the   rehearsal ;    Clare   can't  come   any 

« 
other  time,  you  know." 


58  THE    REHEARSAL. 

Phronsie  turned  an  anxious  face  to  the  win- 
dow. "  I  hope  he's  not  being  hurt  very  much," 
she  said  slowly. 

"  I  don't  believe  he  is,"  Polly  made  haste  to 
answer  most  cheerfully,  "it  was  only  one  tooth, 
you  know,  Phronsie,  to  be  filled.  Auntie  says 
Dr.  Porter  told  her  the  rest  are  all  right." 

But  a  cloud  rested  on  the  Princess'  face. 
"  One  tooth  is  something,"  she  said. 

"  Just  think  how  nice  it  will  be  when  it  is  all 
over,  and  Dick  comes  scampering  in,"  cried 
Jasper,  with  great  hilarity. 

"  Do  climb  up  on  the  sofa,  Phronsie,"  urged 
Polly,  looking  into  the  pale  little  face,  "  you 
must  sit  down  and  rest  a  bit,  you're  so  tired." 

"  I  will  read  the  prologue  while  she  rests," 
said  Jasper. 

"  So  you  can,"  said  Polly.  "  Take  care, 
child,"  in  alarm,  "  you  mustn't  curl  up  in  the 
corner  like  that;  princesses  don't  ever  do  so." 

"  Don't  they  ? "  said  Phronsie,  flying  off  from 
the  lovely  corner,  to  straighten  out  again  into 


THE    REHEARSAL.  59 

the  dignity  required  ;  "  not  when  they  are  little 
girlsi  Polly  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed,"  said  Polly,  with  a  rescuing 
hand  among  the  silver  spangles  and  lace ;  "  they 
must  never  forget  that  they  are  princesses, 
Phronsie.  There,  now,  you're  all  right." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  Phronsie,  sitting  quite  stiffly, 
glad  if  she  could  not  be  comfortable,  she  could 
be  a  princess. 

"  Gentle  ladies  and  brave  sirs,"  began  Jasper 
in  a  loud  impressive  tone,  from  the  temporary 
stage,  the  large  rug  in  front  of  the  crackling 
hearth  fire. 

Clare  burst  into  a  laugh.  "  See  here  now," 
cried  Jasper,  brandishing  his  text  at  him,  "  if 
you  embarrass  me  like  that,  you  may  leave,  you 
old  dragon ! " 

"  You  ought  to  see  your  face,"  cried  Clare. 
"Jap,  you  are  anything  but  a  hit." 

"  You'll  be  yet,"  declared  Jasper  with  a  pre- 
tended growl,  and  another  flourish  of  the  man- 
uscript. 


60  THE    REHEARSAL, 

"  Go  on,  do,"  implored  Polly,  "  I  think  it  is 
lovely.  Clare,  you  really  ought  to  be  ashamed," 
and  she  shook  her  brown  head  severely  at  him. 

"If  I  don't  quench  such  melodrama  in  the 
outset,"  said  Clare,  "  he'll  ruin  us  all.  Fair 
ladies  and  brave  sirs,"  mimicking  to  perfection 
Jasper's  tones. 

"  Thank  you  for  a  hint,"  cried  Jasper,  pulling 
out  his  pencil.  "  I  didn't  say  '  fair ' ;  that's 
better  than  'gentle.'  I  wish  critics  would  always 
be  so  useful  as  to  give  one  good  idea.  Heigho ! 
here  goes  again  : 

Fair  ladies  and  brave  sirs,. 

The  player's  art  is  to  amuse, 

Instruct,  or  to  confuse 

By  too  much  good  advice, 

But  poorly  given  : 

That  no  one  follows,  because,  forsooth, 

'Tis  thrown  at  him,  neck  and  heels. 

The  drama,  pure  and  simple,  is  forgot 

In  tugging  in  the  moral  — 

"  I  thought  you  were  going  to  alter  '  tugging 
in  '  to  something  more  elegant,"  said  Polly. 


THE    REHEARSAL.  6l 

"  Lugging  in,"  suggested  Clare,  with  another 
laugh. 

"  Morals  are  always  tugged  in  by  the  head 
and  shoulders"  said  Jasper.  "Why  not  say 
so  ?  " 

"  We  should  have  pretty  much  the  whole 
anatomy  of  the  human  form  divine,  if  you  had 
your  way,"  cried  Clare.  "  Listen  ! 

"  '  Because,  forsooth,  'tis  thrown  at  him,  neck 
and  heels  '  and  '  Tugging  in  the  moral,  head 
and  shoulders.'  Now  just  add  'by  the  pricking 
of  my  thumbs,'  etc.,  and  you  have  them  all." 

Jasper  joined  as  well  as  Polly  and  Ben  at  the 
prologue's  expense,  but  Phronsie  sat  erect  wink- 
ing hard,  her  royal  hands  folded  quite  still  in 
her  lap. 

"  You're  bound  for  a  newspaper  office,  my 
boy,"  said  Jasper  at  length.  "  How  you  will 
cut  into  the  coming  poet,  and  maul  the  fledgeling 
of  the  prose  writer !  Well,  I  stand  corrected. 

The  drama  pure  and  simple, 

Is  forgot,  in  straining  at  the  moral. 


62  THE    REHEARSAL. 

"  Ps  that  any  better  ?  "     (To  the  audience.) 
"Yes,  I  think  it  is,"  said  Polly,  "but  I  do 

believe  it's  time  to  talk  more  elegantly,  Jasper. 

It  is  due  to  the  people  in  the  private  boxes,  you 

know." 

"  Oh !  the  boxes  are  to  have  things  all  right 

before  the  play  is  over ;  never  you  fear,  Polly," 

said  Jasper. 

A  poor  presentment, 

You  will  say  we  give  ; 

But  cry  you  mercy,  Sirs,  and  — 

"  I  don't  like  '  cry  you  mercy,'  "  announced 
Ben  slowly,  "because  it  don't  seem  to  mean 
anything." 

"  Oh !  don't  cut  that  out,"  exclaimed  Polly, 
clasping  her  hands  and  rushing  up  to  Ben. 
"  That's  my  pet  phrase ;  you  mustn't  touch  that, 
Bensie." 

"  But  it  don't  mean  anything,"  reiterated  Ben 
m  a  puzzled  way. 

"Who  cares?"  cried  Jasper  defiantly.  "A 
great  many  expressions  that  haven't  the  least 


THE    REHEARSAL.  63 

significance,  are  put  in  a  thing  of  this  sort. 
Padding,  you  know,  my  dear  sir."  , 

"  Oh !  "  said  Ben  literally,  "  I  didn't  know 
as  you  needed  padding.  All  right,  if  it  is 
necessary." 

"  It's  antique  and  perfectly  lovely,  and  just  like 
Shakespeare,"  cried  Polly,  viewing  Ben  in  alarm. 

"  Oh  !  let  the  Bard  of  Avon  have  one*  say  in 
this  production,"  cried  Clare.  "Go  on,  do,  with 
your  '  cry  you  mercy.'  What's  next,  Jap  ?  " 

"  Are  you  willing,  Ben  ? "  asked  Jasper,  with 
a  glance  at  Polly. 

"Ye-es,"  said  Ben,  also  gazing  at  the  rosy 
face  and  anxious  eyes,  "  it  can  go  as  padding, 
I  suppose." 

"  Oh !  I  am  so  glad,"  exclaimed  Polly  in 
glee,  and  dancing  around  the  room.  "  And  you 
won't  be  sorry,  I  know,  Bensie  ;  the  audience 
will  applaud  that  very  thing,  I'm  almost  sure," 
which  made  Jasper  sternly  resolve  something 
on  the  spot. 

'•'  Well,  I  shall  never  be  through  at  this  rate," 


64  THE    REHEARSAL. 

he  said,  whirling  over  the  manuscript  to  find  his 
place.     "  Oh  !  here  I  am  : 

But  cry  you  mercy,  Sirs  and  ladies  fair, 
We  aim  but  to  be  dragons, 
Not  mortals  posing  for  effect. 
We  have  a  princess,  to  be  sure  — 

"  I  should  think  we  have,"  interrupted  Clare 
with  a  glance  over  at  the  sofa.  "  Goodness  me, 
she's  fast  asleep." 

"  Poor  little  thing,  she  is  tired  to  death," 
cried  Polly  remorsefully,  while  they  all  rushed 
over  to  the  heap  of  lace  and  spangles,  blissfully 
oblivious  of  "  prologues." 

"Do  let  her  sleep  through  this  piece  of 
stupidity,"  said  Jasper,  bundling  up  another 
satin  skirt  that  Mrs.  Whitney  had  loaned  for 
Polly  to  make  a  choice  from.  "  There,"  put- 
ting it  under  the  yellow  head,  "we'll  call  her 
when  the  dragons  come  on." 

"  Take  care,"  cried  Polly,  with  intercepting 
hand,  "that's  Auntie's  lovely  satin  gown." 

"  Beg  pardon,"  said  Jasper,  relinquishing  it 


THE    REHEARSAL.  65 

speedily.  "  Here's  the  sofa  pillow,  after  all," 
dragging  it  from  its  temporary  retirement  under 
the  theatrical  de'bris.  "  Now  let's  get  back  to 
work;  time  is  going  fast."  In  a  lowered 
voice  : 

We  have  a  princess,  to  be  sure, 

A  sweet  and  gracious  Clotilde, 

And  a  knight  who  does  her  homage  ; 

But  the  rest  of  us 

Are  fishy,  scaly, 

Horny,  and  altogether  horrid, 

And  of  very  low  degree 

Who  scarce  know  why  we  are  upon  the  boards, 

Except  for  your  amusement, 

So  prithee, — 

"  Hold ! "  cried  Clare,  "  what  stuff." 
"  Give  me  an  inch  of  time,"  cried  Jasper,  hurry- 
ing on,  "  and  I'll  end  the  misery : 

So  prithee,  be  amused  ; 

We're  undone,  if  you  are  not, 

And  all  our  labor  lost. 

Pray  laugh,  and  shake  your  sides, 

And  say  '  'tis  good ; 


66  THE    REHEARSAL. 

I'  faith,  'tis  very  good.' 

And  we  shall  say 

'  Your  intellects  do  you  credit.' 

And  so  we  bid  you  a  fond  adieu, 

And  haste  away  to  unshackle  the  dragons, 

Who  even  now  do  roar  without. 

Clare  threw  himself  into  the  part  of  the 
dragons,  and  forgetful  of  Phronsie,  gave  a  loud 
roar.  Polly  clapped  her  hands  and  tossed  an 
imaginary  bouquet  as  Jasper  bowed  himself  off. 

"  Hush  ! "  said  Ben,  "  you'll  wake  up  Phron- 
sie," but  it  was  too  late  ;  there  she  sat  rubbing 
her  eyes  in  astonishment. 

"  Oh  !  you  darling,"  cried  Polly,  running  over 
to  her,  to  clasp  her  in  her  arms,  "  I'm  so  sorry  I 
tired  you  all  out,  Phronsie  dear,  do  forgive  me." 

"I'm  not  tired,"  said  Phronsie,  with  dewy  eyes. 
"  Has  Jasper  got  through  reading  ?  What  was 
it  all  about,  Polly  ?  " 

"  Indeed  and  I  have  finished,"  he  cried  with  a 
yawn  and  throwing  the  manuscript  on  the  table, 
"  and  I  don't  know  in  the  least  what  it  is  all 
about,  Phronsie." 


THE    REHEARSAL. 


"Just  a  lot  of  dreadful  words,"  said  Clare,  over 
in  the  corner,  pulling  at  a  heap  of  costumes  or? 
the  floor.  "  Never  mind  ;  the  horrible  spell  is 


"LOOK,    PHRONS1E,    HERE    GOES    IN    MY    HEAD." 

broken  ;  come  on,  you  fellows,  and  tumble  into 
your  dragon  skins  !  " 

With  that  the  chief  dragon  deserted  Phronsie, 
and  presently  there  resounded  the  rattle  of  the 


68  THE    REHEARSAL. 

scales,  the  clanking  of  chains,  and  the  dragging 
about  of  the  rest  of  their  paraphernalia. 

"  Now,  Phronsie,"  said  Jasper,  coming  back, 
half-vvithin  his  dragon  skin,  and  gesticulating, 
"  you  see  that  it's  only  I  in  this  thing.  Look, 
dear  !  here  goes  in  my  head,"  and  he  pulled  on 
the  scaly  covering,  observing  great  care  to  smile 
reassuringly  the  last  thing  before  his  countenance 
was  obscured. 

Phronsie  screamed  with  delight  and  clapped 
her  hands.  "  O,  Jasper  !  let  me  have  one  on, 
do,  Jasper  !  I'd  much  rather  be  a  dragon  than 
a  princess.  Really  and  truly  I  would,  Jasper." 

"  I  don't  agree  with  you,"  said  Jasper,  in  a 
muffled  voice.  "  Phew  !  this  is  no  end  stuffy, 
fellows.  I  can't  stand  it  long." 

"  I'm  all  coming  to  pieces,"  said  Ben,  turning 
around  to  regard  his  back  where  the  scales 
yawned  fearfully. 

"  I'll  run  and  ask  Mamsie  to  come  and  sew 
you  up,"  cried  Polly,  flying  off.  "  She  said  she 
would  help,  if  we  wanted  her." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

WELCOME    HOME  ! 

MARIAN,"  said  old  Mr.  King,  putting  his 
head  in  at  the  door  of  her  little  writ- 
ing-room, "  can't  you  get  her  comfortably  out  of 
the  way  this  morning  ?  I  want  your  services 
without  interruption." 

"  She's  going  down  to  Pinaud's,"  said  Mrs. 
Whitney,  looking  up  from  the  note  she  was 
writing. 

"  Capital  !  when  she  once  gets  there,  she'll 
stay  the  morning,"  declared  Mr.  King,  greatly- 
pleased.  "  Now,  then,  after  she's  cleverly  off, 
you  may  come  to  me." 

"  I  will,  father,"  said  Marian,  going  back  with 
a  smile  to  her  correspondence. 

Half  an  hour  later  Thomas,  with  the  aid  of 
69 


70  WELCOME    HOME  ! 

the  horses  and  the  shopping  coupd  having  car- 
ried off  Mrs.  Chatterton,  Mrs.  Whitney  pushed 
aside  her  notes,  and  ran  down  to  her  father's 
study. 

She  found  him  in  his  velvet  morning-gown 
seated  before  his  table,  busy  with  a  good-sized 
list  of  names  that  was  rapidly  growing  longer 
under  his  pen. 

"  Oh  !  I  forgot,"  he  said,  looking  up ;  "I 
intended  to  tell  you  to  bring  some  of  your 
cards  and  envelopes.  I  want  some  invitations 
written." 

"  Are  you  going  to  give  a  dinner  ? "  asked 
Marian,  looking  over  his  shoulder.  "  O,  no  !  I 
see  by  the  length  of  your  list  it's  an  evening 
affair,  or  a  musicale." 

"  You  run  along,  daughter,"  said  the  old  gentle- 
man, "  and  get  what  I  tell  you.  This  is  my  affair ; 
it's  a  musicale  and  something  else  combined.  I 
don't  just  know  myself."  And  he  laughed  at 
the  sight  of  her  face. 

"If  father  is  only  pleased,  I  don't  care  what 


WELCOME  HOME!  71 

it  is,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney  to  herself,  hurrying 
over  the  stairs  and  back  again,  never  once 
thinking  of  Polly's  and  Jasper's  surprise  for 
the  boys. 

"You  see,  Marian,"  said  Mr.  King  as  she 
sat  down  by  the  table  and  laid  the  cards  and 
envelopes  in  front  of  him,  "  that  I'm  going  to 
help  out  that  affair  that  Jasper  and  Polly  are 
getting  up." 

"  O,  father!  how  good  of  you!"  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Whitney  in  a  delighted  tone,  which  im- 
mensely pleased  the  old  gentleman,  to  begin 
with. 

"  They've  been  working  very  hard,  those  two, 
at  their  studies  this  autumn.  I've  seen  them," 
cried  Mr.  King,  with  a  shrewd  air,  "and  I'm 
going  now  to  give  them  a  little  pleasure." 

Marian  said  nothing,  but  let  him  have  the 
comfort  of  doing  all  the  talking,  which  he  now 
enjoyed  to  his  heart's  content. 

"  Whether  the  other  chaps  have  done  well,  I 
don't  know.  Davie  may  have  kept  at  it,  but 


72  WELCOME  HOME! 

I  suspect  the  rest  of  the  boys  haven't  killed 
themselves  with  hard  study.  But  they  shall 
have  a  good  home-coming,  at  any  rate." 

Mrs.  Whitney  smiled,  and  he  proceeded  : 

"  Now  I'm  going  to  send  out  these  invitations  " 
—  he  pushed  the  list  toward  her  —  "  I  shall  have 
the  drawing-room  and  music-room  floors  covered, 
and  all  extra  seats  arranged,  give  Turner  carte 
blanche  as  to  flowers,  if  he  can't  furnish  enough 
out  of  our  own  conservatories  —  and  the  evening 
will  end  with  a  handsome  '  spread/  as  Jasper  calls 
it.  In  short,  I  shall  recognize  their  attempt  to 
make  it  pleasant  for  the  boys'  holiday,  by  help- 
ing them  out  on  the  affair  all  I  can."  The  old 
gentleman  now  leaned  back  in  his  big  chair  and 
studied  his  daughter's  face. 

"  And  you'll  never  regret  it,  father,"  she  cried, 
with  an  enthusiasm  that  satisfied  him,  "  for  these 
young  people  will  all  repay  you  a  thousand-fold, 
I  do  believe,  in  the  time  to  come," 

"Don't  I  know  it?"  cried  Mr.  King,  getting 
out  of  his  chair  hastily  to  pace  the  floor.  "  Good- 


WELCOME    HOME  !  73 

ness  me !  they  repay  me  already.  They're  fine 
young  things,  every  one  of  them  —  Whitneys, 
Peppers  and  my  boy  —  as  fine  as  they  are 
made.  And  whoever  says  they're  not,  don't 
know  a  good  piece  of  work  when  it's  before  his 
eyes.  Bless  me  ! "  pulling  out  his  handkerchief 
to  mop  his  face  violently,  "  I  don't  want  to  see 
any  finer." 

"  I  hope  I  shall  have  a  sight  of  Jasper's  and 
Polly's  faces  when  you  tell  them  what  you  intend 
to  do,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney ;  "  where  are  your 
cards,  father  ?  " 

"Tell  them  ?  I  sha'n't  tell  them  at  all,"  cried 
the  old  gentleman ;  "  I'm  going  to  have  a  sur- 
prise, too.  No  one  must  know  it  but  you  and 
Mrs.  Pepper." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  Mrs.  Whitney.  "  It  was  very 
stupid  in  me  not  to  understand  that.  It  will 
be  all  right,  father ;  Mrs.  Pepper  and  I  will 
keep  our  secret,  you  needn't  fear." 

"  If  you  can  only  keep  her  out  of  the  way," 
exclaimed  Mr.  King,  pointing  irascibly  in  the 


74  WELCOME  HOME! 

direction  of  Mrs.  Chatteron's  apartments,  "  all 
will  be  well.  But  I  doubt  if  you  can ;  her 
meddlesome  ears  and  tongue  will  be  at  work  as 
usual,"  he  added  in  extreme  vexation. 

"  Here  comes  Jasper,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Whit- 
ney, which  had  the  satisfactory  result  of  bring- 
ing her  father  out  of  his  irritation,  into  a  flut- 
ter over  the  concealment  of  the  party  prepa- 
rations. 

"  Jasper,"  cried  Polly  that  evening,  as  they 
ran  into  the  music-room  to  play  a  duet,  "we're 
all  right  about  everything  now,  as  your  father 
says  we  may  invite  the  girls  and  your  friends." 

"  And  he  said  when  I  asked  him  if  we  ought 
not  to  have  cake  and  coffee, '  I'll  attend  to  that,'  " 
said  Jasper,  "  so  everything  is  all  straight  as  far 
as  I  can  see,  Polly." 

"  The  private  boxes  trouble  me,  I  must  con- 
fess," said  Polly,  drumming  absently  on  the 
keys,  while  Jasper  spread  the  sheet  of  music 
on  the  rack.  "  You  know  there  must  be  two ; 
one  for  dear  Mr.  King,  and  one  for  the  boys  as 


WELCOME  HOME!  75 

guests  of  honor.  Now  how  shall  we  manage 
them  ? " 

She  took  her  hand  off  suddenly  from  the  keys 
and  folded  it  over  its  fellow  on  her  knee,  to 
study  his  face  anxiously. 

"  It's  pretty  hard  to  get  them  up,  that's  a 
fact,"  said  Jasper  truthfully,  "  but  then,  you 
know,  Polly,  we've  always  found  that  when  a 
thing  had  to  be  done,  it  was  done.  You  know 
the  little  brown  house  taught  us  that." 

"  So  it  did,"  said  Polly,  brightening  up.  "  Dear 
little  old  brown  house,  how  could  I  ever  forget  it ! 
Well,  I  suppose,"  with  a  sigh,  "  it  will  come  to  us 
as  an  inspiration  when  it's  time  to  fix  them." 

"  I  suppose  so  too,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  passing 
the  door,  as  usual  with  her  mending  basket,  "  and 
when  two  people  start  to  play  a  duet,  I  think  they 
much  better  put  their  minds  on  that,  and  not 
waste  precious  time  on  all  sorts  of  questions 
that  will  take  care  of  themselves  when  the  time 
comes." 

"  You  are  right,  Mrs.  Pepper,"  cried  Jasper 


76  WELCOME  HOME! 

with  a  laugh,  and  seating  himself  before  the 
piano.  "  Come,  Polly  !  " 

"  Mamsie  is  always  right,  isn't  she,  Jasper  ?  " 
cried  Polly  with  pride,  putting  her  hands  down 
for  the  first  chords. 

"  Indeed  she  is,"  responded  the  boy  heartily. 
"  Here  now,  Polly,  remember,  you  slipped  up  a 
bit  on  that  first  bar.  Now." 

The  twenty-first  of  December  came  all  too 
soon  for  Polly  and  Jasper,  whose  school  duties 
had  engrossed  them  till  two  days  before,  but 
after  hard  work  getting  up  the  stage  proper- 
ties, and  the  many  rehearsals,  everything  was 
at  last  pronounced  ready,  the  drawing-room 
and  music-room  locked,  the  keys  given  to  Mrs. 
Whitney  who  promised  faithfully  to  see  that 
no  one  peeped  in  who  should  not,  and  Polly 
hurried  into  her  hat  and  jacket,  to  go  to  the 
station  with  Jasper  to  meet  the  boys. 

Thomas  drove  furiously,  as  they  were  a  bit 
late,  and  they  arrived  only  a  minute  before  the 
train  puffed  in. 


WELCOME    HOME  !  77 

"  Here  they  are  !  "  cried  Polly,  and  "  Here 
they  are  ! "  cried  Jasper,  together,  in  great 
excitement,  on  the  platform. 

"  Halloo,  Polly !  "  cried  Joel,  prancing  out  of 
the  car  first,  and  "  How  d'ye  do,  Polly  ?  "  as 
they  all  hurried  after.  "  Halloo,  Jasper  !  " 

"  O,  Polly !  it's  good  to  see  you  !  "  This  from 
Davie,  not  ashamed  to  set  a  kiss  on  her  red 
lips. 

Van  and  Percy  looked  as  if  they  wanted  to, 
but  contented  themselves  with  wringing  her  hand 
nearly  off,  while  Joel  declared  he  would  look 
after  the  luggage. 

"  No,  I  will,"  cried  Van,  dropping  Polly's 
hand. 

"  You  forget,"  said  Percy  quietly,  "  I  hold  the 
checks,  "I'll  attend  to  it  myself."  He  unclosed 
his  brown  traveling  glove,  and  Van,  at  sight  of 
them,  turned  back. 

"Go  along,  do,  then,"  he  cried  ;  "  I  don't  want 
to,  I'm  sure,  I'd  much  rather  stay  with  Polly. 
How  d'ye  do,  Thomas  ?  "  he  called  carelessly 


78  WELCOME   HOME  ! 

to  the  coachman  on  his  box  who  was  continually 
touching  his  hat  and  indulging  in  broad  smiles 
of  content. 

Polly  was  tiptoeing  in  very  delight,  holding 
Davie's  hand  closely  while  her  eyes  roved  from 
one  to  the  other  of  the  boys,  and  her  tongue  ran 
fast  indeed.  A  group  of  girls,  who  had  also  come 
down  to  the  station  to  meet  friends,  stopped  a 
bit  as  they  came  laughing  and  chatting  by. 

"  How  d'ye,  boys  ? "  they  said  carelessly  to 
the  three  home-comers.  "  O,  Polly  !  won't  it 
be  entrancing  to-night  ? "  cried  one  of  them, 
seizing  her  arm  as  she  spoke. 

"  Hush  ! "  said  Polly,  as  she  tried  to  stop  her. 

"  May  I  bring  Elsie  Fay  ?  she's  come  on  the 
train  to  stay  over  Christmas  with  her  aunt. 
May  I,  Polly  ?  "  begged  another  girl  eagerly. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  Polly  in  a  paroxysm  of  fear 
lest  Joel,  who  was  crowding  up  between  them, 
should  catch  a  word;  "do  be  still,"  she  whis- 
pered. "  Bring  anybody,  only  stop,  Alexia." 

"  He   won't   hear,"   said    Alexia   carelessly ; 


WELCOME  HOME!  79 

"  that  boy  don't  mind  our  talking ;  his  head's 
full  of  skating  and  coasting." 

"You're  going  to  have  something  to-night 
that  you  don't  want  me  to  know  about,"  de- 
clared Joel,  his  chubby  face  set  defiantly,  and 
crowding  closer;  "so  there  ;  now  I'm  going  to 
find  out  what  it  is." 

"  If  we  don't  want  you  to  know,  you  ought 
not  to  try  to  find  out,  Joel  Pepper,"  cried 
Alexia.  "And  you  sha'n't,  either." 

"  There,  now  you  see,"  cried  Polly,  unable  to 
keep  still,  while  her  face  grew  red  too.  "  O, 
dear !  what  shall  we  do  ?  " 

"You  are  —  you  are,"  cried  Joel,  capering  up 
and  down  the  platform,  his  black  eyes  shining 
with  delight.  "  Now  I  know  for  certain,  and 
it's  at  our  house,  too,  for  you  asked  Polly  if  you 
might  bring  some  other  girl,  Elsie  somebody 
or  other,  so  !  Oh !  I'll  soon  know." 

"Joel,"  exclaimed  Jasper  suddenly,  clapping 
him  on  the  shoulder,  "I'm  going  round  to  the 
gymnasium  ;  want  to  go  with  me  ? " 


80  WELCOME  HOME! 

Joel  stopped  his  capering  at  once,  this  new 
idea  thrusting  out  the  old  one. 

"  Don't  I,  though !  "  he  cried,  with  a  nod  at 
Polly  and  her  friends.  "But  I'll  find  out  when 
I  do  get  home,"  the  nod  declared  plainly. 

But  Jasper  also  nodded.  His  said,  "  He  won't 
get  home  till  late;  depend  on  me."  And  then 
"Come  on,  Jo,"  he  cried;  "I'm  going  to  walk," 
and  they  were  off. 

Alexia  pinched  Polly's  gray  woollen  jacket 
sleeve  convulsively.  "  What  an  escape,"  she 
breathed. 

"  Here  comes  Percy,"  cried  Polly  nervously, 
and  she  broke  away  from  her  and  the  other 
giris,  and  ran  to  meet  him,  the  two  boys  fol- 
lowing. 

"  Where's  Jasper  ?  "  asked  Percy,  rendered 
quite  important  in  air  and  step,  from  his  en- 
counter with  the  baggage  officials. 

"  Oh  !  he  isn't  going  home  with  us,"  said  Polly. 
"  Come,  do  let  us  get  in,"  and  she  scampered  off 
to  the  carriage  and  climbed  within. 


'  O,   FELICIE  1    I    DON'T   WANT   THAT    DRESS.' 


WELCOME    HOME !  83 

"  That's  funny,"  said  Percy,  jumping  in  after. 

Van  opened  his  lips  to  tell  where  Jasper  had 
gone,  but  remembering  Percy's  delight  in  such 
an  expedition,  he  closed  them  quickly,  and  added 
himself  to  the  company  in  the  carriage.  Davie 
followed,  and  closed  the  door  quickly. 

"  Stop !  where's  Joel  ? "  asked  Percy.  "Thomas, 
we've  forgotten  Joe,"  rapping  on  the  glass  to  the 
coachman. 

"  No,  we  haven't ;  he  isn't  going  to  drive," 
said  Polly. 

"  Oh ! "  and  Percy,  thinking  that  Joel  had 
stolen  a  march  on  them  on  his  good  strong 
legs,  now  cried  lustily,  "  Go  on,  Thomas  ;  get 
ahead  as  fast  as  you  can,"  and  presently  he  was 
lost  in  the  babel  of  laughter  and  chatter  going 
on  in  the  coach. 

"  I've  a  piece  of  news,"  presently  cried  Van 
in  a  lull.  "  Davie's  bringing  home  a  prize;  first 
in  classics,  you  know." 

"  O,  Davie  !  "  screamed  Polly,  and  she  leaned 
over  to  throw  her  arms  around  him  ;  "  Manisie 


84  WELCOME    HOME  ! 

will  be  so  glad.  Davie,  you  can't  think  how  glad 
she'll  be !  " 

Davie's  brown  cheek  glowed.  "  It  isn't  much," 
he  said  simply,  "  there  were  so  many  prizes  given 
out." 

"  Well,  you've  taken  one,"  cried  Polly,  saying 
the  blissful  words  over  and  over.  "  How  per- 
fectly elegant !  " 

Van  drummed  on  the  carriage  window  dis- 
contentedly. "  I  could  have  taken  one  if  I'd 
had  the  mind  to." 

"  Hoh-oh  ! "  shouted  Percy  over  in  his  corner. 
"  Well,  you  didn't  have  the  mind  ;  that's  what 
was  wanting." 

"You  keep  still,"  cried  Van,  flaming  up,  and 
whirling  away  from  his  window.  "  You  didn't 
take  any,  either.  Polly,  his  head  was  under 
water  all  the  time,  unless  some  of  the  boys 
tugged  him  along  every  day.  We  hardly  got 
him  home  at  all." 

"  No  such  thing,"  contradicted  Percy  flatly, 
his  face  growing  red.  "  Polly,  he  tells  perfectly 


WELCOME  HOME!  85 

awful  yarns.  You  mustn't  believe  him,  Polly. 
You  won't,  will  you  ? "  He  leaned  over  appeal- 
ingly  toward  her. 

"  Oh !  don't,  don't,"  cried  Polly  quite  dismayed, 
"  talk  so  to  each  other." 

"Well,  he's  so  hateful,"  cried  Van,  "and  the 
airs  he  gives  himself !  I  can't  stand  them, 
Polly,  you  know  "  — 

"  And  he's   just   as   mean,"  cried  Percy  vin- 
dictively.    "  Oh  !  you  can't  think,  Polly.     Here 
we  are,"  as  Thomas  gave  a  grand  flourish  through 
the  stone  gateway,  and  up  to  the  steps. 
"  I'll  help  you  out,"  and  he  sprang  out  first. 

"  No,  I  will,"  declared  Van,  opening  the  door 
on  the  other  side,  jumping  out  and  running 
around  the  carriage.  "  Here,  Polly,  take  my 
hand,  do." 

"  No,  I  got  here  first,"  said  Percy  eagerly, 
his  brown  glove  extended  quite  beyond  Van's 
hand. 

"  I  don't  want  any  o*ne  to  help  me,  who  speaks 
so  to  his  brother,"  said  Polly  in  a  low  voice,  and 


86  WELCOME    HOME  ! 

with  her  most  superb  air  stepping  down  alone, 
she  ran  up  the  steps  to  leave  them  staring  in 
each  other's  faces. 

Here  everybody  came  hurrying  out  to  the 
porch,  and  they  were  soon  drawn  into  the  warm 
loving  welcome  awaiting  them. 

"  O,  Felicie  !  I  don't  want  that  dress,"  said 
Polly  as  she  ran  into  her  room  after  dinner,  to 
Mrs.  Whitney's  French  maid,  "  I'm  going  to 
wear  my  brown  cashmere." 

"  O,  Mademoiselle  !  "  remonstrated  Fdlicie, 
adjusting  the  ruffle  in  the  neck  of  the  white 
nun's  veiling  over  her  arm. 

"O,  no,  Polly!  I  wouldn't,"  began  Mrs. 
Pepper,  coming  in,  "  the  white  one  is  better 
for  to-night." 

"  Mamsie !  "  cried  Poll)',  breaking  away  from 
the  mirror  where  she  was  pulling  into  place  the 
bright  brown  waves  over  her  forehead,  "  how 
lovely !  you've  put  on  your  black  silk  ;  and  your 
hair  is  just  beautiful !  " 

"  Madame   has   ze  fine  hair,"    said    Fe'licie, 


WELCOME  HOME!  87 

"  only  I  wish  zee  would  gif  it  to  me  to  pre- 
paire." 

"  Yes,  I  have  good  hair,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper, 
"  and  I'm  thankful  for  it.  No  one  looks  dressed 
up,  in  my  opinion,  with  a  ragged  head.  The 
finer  the  gown,  it  makes  careless  hair  look 
worse.  No,  Polly,  I  wouldn't  wear  the  brown 
dress  to-night." 

"  Why,  Mamsie !  "  exclaimed  Polly  in  surprise, 
"  I  thought  you'd  say  it  was  just  the  thing  when 
only  the  girls  and  Jappy's  friends  are  coming 
to  the  play.  Besides,  I  don't  want  to  look  too 
dressed  up;  the  Princess  ought  to  be  the  only 
one  in  a  white  gown." 

"  You  won't  be  too  conspicuous,"  said  her 
mother;  adding  slowly,  "you  might  wear  the 
nun's  veiling  well  enough  as  you  haven't  any 
part  in  the  play,  Polly,"  and  she  scanned  the 
rosy  face  keenly. 

"  I  don't  want  any  part,"  cried  Polly ;  "  they 
all  play  better  than  I  do.  Somebody  must  see 
that  everything  goes  off  well  behind  the  scenes ; 


38  WELCOME    HOME! 

that's  my  place,  Mamsie.  Besides,  you  forget 
I  am  to  play  my  sonata." 

"I  don't  forget,"  said  her  mother;  "all  the 
more  reason  you  should  wear  the  white  gown, 
then." 

"  All  right,"  cried  Polly,  merrily  dashing  across 
the  room  to  Felicie,  "  put  it  over  my  head,  do. 
Well,  I'm  glad  you  think  it  is  right  to  wear  it, 
Mamsie,"  as  the  soft  folds  fell  around  her.  "  I 
just  love  this  dress.  O,  Auntie !  how  perfectly 
exquisite  ! " 

Mrs.  Whitney  came  in  smilingly  and  put  a  kiss 
on  the  tall  girl's  cheek.  "Do  I  look  nicely?" 
she  asked  naively,  turning  around  under  the 
chandelier. 

"Nicely?"  exclaimed  Polly,  lifting  her  hands, 
"  why,  you  are  fresh  from  fairyland.  You  are  so 
good  to  put  on  that  lovely  blue  moire'  and  your 
diamond  cross,  just  for  the  boys  and  girls." 

"  I  am  glad  you  like  it,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney 
hastily.  "  Now,  Polly,  don't  you  worry  about 
anything;  I'll  see  that  the  last  things  are  done." 


WELCOME  HOME!  89 

"  Well,  I  am  worrying,"  confessed  Polly,  quite 
in  a  tremble  ;  "  I  must  see  to  one  corner  of  the 
private  box  for  the  boys.  You  know  the  last 
India  shawl  you  lent  me  wasn't  pinned  up 
straight  and  I  couldn't  fix  it,  for  Van  wanted 
me  just  then,  and  I  couldn't  get  away  without 
his  suspecting  something.  O,  Auntie !  if  you 
would  see  to  that." 

"  I  will,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney,  not  daring  to 
look  at  Mrs.  Pepper,  "and  to  all  the  other 
things ;  don't  give  a  thought  to  them,  Polly." 

"  How  good  you  are,"  cried  Polly  with  a  sigh 
of  relief.  "  O,  Auntie  !  we  couldn't  do  anything 
without  you." 

"  And  you  don't  need  to  go  into  the  drawing- 
room  at  all,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney,  going  to  the 
door.  "  Just  keep  behind  the  scenes,  and  get 
your  actors  and  Phronsie  ready,  and  your  mother 
and  I  will  receive  your  friends.  Come,  Mrs. 
Pepper." 

"That  is  splendid,"  cried  Polly,  left  behind 
with  the  maid,  "now  I  can  get  ready  without 


90  WELCOME  HOME! 

flying  into  a  flurry,  Felicie ;  and  then  for 
Phronsie  and  the  rest !  " 

"There  is  a  dreadful  commotion  in  there 
among  the  audience,"  said  Jasper,  out  in  the 
green  room  ;  "  I  imagine  every  one  who  had  an 
'invite,'  has  come.  But  I  don't  see  how  they 
can  make  such  a  noise." 

"  Oh !  a  few  girls  and  boys  make  just  about 
as  much  confusion  as  a  good  many,"  observed 
Polly.  "Jasper,  wouldn't  you  like  to  see  Joel's 
eyes  when  Aunt  Whitney  leads  him  into  the  pri- 
vate box  ? "  she  allowed  herself  time  to  exclaim. 

"  Yes,"  laughed  Jasper,  pulling  out  his  watch 
from  beneath  his  dragon-skin ;  "  well,  we  have 
only  five  minutes  more,  Polly.  We  must  have 
the  curtain  up  sharp." 

"  O,  dear,  dear !  "  cried  Polly,  flying  here  and 
there  to  bestow  last  touches  on  the  different 
members  of  her  cast.  "  Now,  Clare,  you  must 
remember  not  to  give  such  a  shriek  when  you 
go  on,  mustn't  he,  Jappy  ?  Just  a  dull,  sullen 
roar,  your  part  is." 


WELCOME  HOME!  93 

"Well,  I'm  nearly  dead  under  here,"  cried 
Clare,  glaring  beneath  his  dragon  face.  "I'll 
shriek,  or  roar,  just  as  I  like,  so ! " 

"  Very  well,"  said  Polly,  "  I  don't  know  but 
it's  as  well,  after  all,  that  you  are  cross  ;  you'll 
be  more  effective,"  she  added  coolly.  "Let  me 
see  — oh  !  the  door  of  the  cave  wants  a  bit  more 
of  gray  moss ;  it  looks  thin  where  it  hangs  over. 
You  get  it,  will  you,  Hannah  ?  "  to  one  of  the 
maids  who  was  helping. 

"  And  just  one  thing  more,"  scanning  hastily 
the  stage  setting,  "  another  Chinese  lantern  is 
needed  right  here,"  going  toward  the  front  of  the 
stage,  "  and  that  green  bush  is  tumbling  over  ; 
do  set  it  straight,  somebody ;  there  now,  I 
believe  everything  is  all  ready.  Now  let  us 
peep  out  of  the  curtain,  and  get  one  good  look 
at  the  audience.  Come,  Phronsie,  here's  a  fine 
place  ;  come,  boys !  " 

The  different  members  of  the  cast  now  applied 
their  eyes  to  as  many  cracks  in  the  curtain  as 
'  could  be  hastily  managed. 


94  WELCOME    HOME  ! 

There  was  a  breathing  space. 

"  What,  what  ?  "  cried  Polly,  gazing  into  the 
sea  of  faces,  and  the  dragons  nearly  knocked 
the  Princess  over  as  Mr.  King  gave  the  signal 
for  the  band  stationed  in  the  wide  hall,  to  send 
out  their  merriest  strains. 


CHAPTER   V. 

AFTER   THE    PLAY. 

IT  was  all  over.  Phronsie  had  been  swept 
off,  a  vision  of  loveliness,  to  the  cave  ;  the 
dragons  had  roared  their  loudest,  and  the  gal- 
lant knight  had  covered  himself  with  glory  in 
the  brilliant  rescue  of  the  Princess  ;  the  little 
page  had  won  the  hearts  of  all  the  ladies  ;  Mr. 
King  had  applauded  himself  hoarse,  especially 
during  the  delivery  of  the  prologue,  when  "  I  cry 
you  mercy,  sirs,  and  ladies  fair,"  rang  out;  the 
musical  efforts  of  Polly  and  Jasper  in  the  "Wait" 
between  the  two  acts  were  over,  and  the  crowded 
house  in  every  way  possible,  had  expressed  itself 
delighted  with  all  things  from  beginning  to  end. 
"  Phronsie,  Phronsie,  they're  calling  you,"  whis- 
pered Polly  excitedly,  out  in  the  green  room. 
95 


96  AFTER    THE    PLAY. 

"  Come,  Princess."  The  head  dragon  held  out 
his  hand.  "  Hurry,  dear  !  See,  the  flowers  !  " 

"They  can't  be  for  me,"  said  Phronsie,  stand- 
ing quite  still ;  "  Polly  has  done  all  the  work  ; 
they're  hers." 

"  Nonsense,  child !  "  cried  Polly,  giving  her 
a  gentle  push  forward.  "Go  on,  and  take 
them." 

"  Polly,  you  come  too,"  begged  Phronsie,  refus- 
ing to  stir,  and  holding  her  by  the  gown. 

"  I  can't,  Phronsie,"  cried  Polly  in  distress ; 
"  don't  you  see  they  haven't  called  me.  Go  on, 
child,  if  you  love  me,"  she  implored. 

Phronsie,  not  being  able  to  resist  this,  dropped 
Polly's  gown,  and  floated  before  the  foot-lights. 

"  Thank  you,"  she  said,  bowing  gravely  to  the 
sea  of  faces,  as  her  hands  were  filled  with  roses, 
"  but  I  shall  give  these  to  Polly,  because  we 
couldn't  any  of  us  have  done  it  without  her." 
And  so  she  brought  them  back  to  put  into  dis- 
mayed Polly's  lap. 

"  The   authors  —  the  authors  of   the  play  !  " 


AFTER    THE    PLAY.  97 

cried  a  strong  voice,  privately  urged  on  by  Mr. 
King. 

"  There,  now's  your  turn,"  cried  Clare  to 
Polly.  "  And  go  ahead,  old  dragon,"  to  Jasper, 
"  make  your  prettiest  bow." 

So  the  chief  dragon  led  up  blushing  Polly  to 
the  front  of  the  stage,  to  hear  a  neat  little  speech 
from  Mr.  Alstyne,  thanking  them  for  the  pleasure 
of  the  evening  and  congratulating  them  on  its 
success ;  and  the  band  played  again,  the  camp 
chairs  were  folded  up  and  removed,  the  green- 
room and  stage  were  deserted,  and  actors  and 
audience  mingled  in  a  gay,  confusing  throng. 

Phronsie,  in  her  little  silver  and  white  gown 
and  gleaming  cap,  began  to  wander  among  the 
guests,  unconscious  that  she  had  not  on  the  red 
cashmere  dress  she  had  worn  all  day.  Groups 
stopped  their  conversation  to  take  her  into  their 
midst,  passing  her  on  at  last  as  one  might  hand 
over  a  precious  parcel  to  the  next  waiting  hands. 
Polly,  seeing  that  she  was  well  cared  for,  gave 
herself  up  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  evening. 


98  AFTER    THE    PLAY. 

"  Well,  sir,  how  did  you  like  it  ? "  asked 
Jasper,  with  a  small  pat  on  Joel's  back. 

"  Well  enough,"  said  Joel,  "  but  why  didn't 
you  make  more  of  it  ?  You  could  have  crawled 
up  on  top  of  the  cave,  and  slashed  around  there  ; 
and  you  old  dragons  were  just  three  muffs  in  the 
last  act.  I'd  rather  have  had  Polly  in  the  play  ; 
she's  twice  the  '  go  '  in  her." 

"  So  would  we  all  have  preferred  Polly,"  cried 
Jasper,  bursting  into  a  laugh,  "but  she  wouldn't 
act  —  she  directed  everything ;  she  was  all  the 
play,  in  fact." 

Polly  meanwhile  was  saying  to  Pickering 
Dodge,  "No,  not  to-night;  you  must  dance  with 
one  of  the  other  girls." 

"  But  I  don't  choose  to  dance  with  anybody 
but  you,"  said  Pickering,  holding  out  his  hand. 
"  Come,  Polly,  you  can't  refuse  ;  they're  forming 
the  Lancers.  Hurry?" 

Polly's  feet  twitched  nervously  under  her  white 
gown,  and  she  longed  more  than  ever  after  the 
excitement  she  had  passed  through,  to  lose  her- 


AFTER    THE    PLAY.  99 

self  in  the  witching  music,  and  the  mazy  dance. 
She  hesitated  a  bit,  but  just  then  glancing  across 
the  room,  "  Come,"  she  said,  "  I  want  you  to 
dance  with  Ray  Simmons.  You  can't  refuse," 
using  his  own  words  ;  and  before  he  was  con- 
scious how  it  was  done,-  he  was  by  Ray's  side, 
and  asking  for  the  pleasure  of  the  dance. 

Polly  stood  quite  still  and  saw  them  go  away 
and  take  the  last  places  in  the  set,  and  a  sorry 
little  droop  fell  upon  the  curves  of  the  laughing 
mouth.  She  was  very  tired,  and  the  elation 
that  had  possessed  her  over  the  success  of  the 
evening  was  fast  dropping  out,  now  that  every- 
body was  enjoying  themselves  in  their  own  way, 
leaving  her  alone.  She  felt  left  out  in  the  cold  ; 
and  though  she  fought  against  it,  a  faint  feeling 
of  regret  stole  over  her  for  what  she  had  done. 
She  almost  wished  she  was  standing  there  by 
the  side  of  Pickering  Dodge,  one  of  the  bright 
group  on  whom  the  eyes  of  the  older  people 
were  all  turned,  as  they  waited  for  the  first 
figure  to  begin. 


100  AFTER    THE    FLAY. 

"  Well,  Polly"  —  it  was  Mr.  Alstyne  who  spoke, 
and  he  acted  as  if  he  had  come  to  stay  by  her 
side —  "  you've  covered  yourself  with  glory  this 
evening." 

"  Have  I,  sir?"  asked  Polly  absently,  wishing 
there  had  been  less  of  the  glory,  and  a  little  more 
fun. 

"Yes,  indeed,"  said  Mr.  Alstyne,  his  keen 
eyes  searching  her  face.  "  Well,  now,  Polly,  your 
dragons,  although  not  exactly  like  any  living 
ones  extant,  make  me  think  of  some  I  saw  at 
the  Zoo,  in  London.  Do  you  want  me  to  tell 
you  how  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  if  you  please,"  cried  Polly,  her  color 
coming  back,  and  beginning  to  forget  the  dance 
and  the  dancers. 

"  Let  us  sit  down  here,  then,"  said  Mr.  Alstyne, 
drawing  her  off  to  two  chairs  in  a  corner,  "  and 
you  shall  have  the  tale.  No  pun,  Polly,  you 
know."  And  he  plunged  into  it  at  once. 

"  Yes,  Alstyne  has  her  all  right,"  Mr.  King 
was  saying  at  the  further  end  of  the  drawing- 


AFTER    THE    PLAY.  IO1 

room  to  Mrs.  Pepper  ;  he  spied  the  whole  thing  ; 
"  he'll  take  care  of  her,  you  may  depend." 

And  two  more  people  had  seen ;  one  was 
Jasper.  Nevertheless  his  partner,  Alexia  Rhys, 
thought  it  necessary  to  enlighten  him. 

"  Just  think,  Polly's  given  up  her  chance  with 
the  best  dancer  in  the  room,  and  sent  Pickering 
Dodge  off  with  that  horrid  Ray  Simmons" 

Jasper  pretended  not  to  hear.  "  This  is  our 
figure,"  he  said  hastily,  and  they  whirled  off, 
finished  it,  and  were  back  again. 

"  Isn't  she  a  goose  ?  "  as  he  fanned  her,  and 
tried  to  introduce  another  subject. 

"  I  suppose  she  best  pleases  herself,"  said  the 
boy  indifferently.  "  Why  should  any  one  else 
interfere  in  the  matter  ?  " 

"  But  some  one  else  ought  to  interfere,"  cried 
Alexia,  with  a  little  pout,  provoked  at  his  indif- 
ference ;  "that's  just  the  way  she  does  in  school 
all  the  time.  Oh  !  I'm  vexed  at  her,  I  can  tell 
you.  She's  so  silly  —  dear  me,  it's  our  turn 
again." 


102  AFTER    THE    PLAY. 

By  the  next  interim  she  had  forgotten  all 
about  Polly  and  whether  she  was  having  a  nice 
time  or  the  stupidest  one  imaginable,  for  Joel, 
who  held  dancing  in  great  contempt,  sauntered 
up. 

"  Aren't  you  glad  now  that  you  didn't  find 
out  about  the  secret  ? "  cried  Alexia  radiantly. 
"Oh  !  you  are  such  a  nuisance,  Joey,"  she  added 
frankly. 

"  Phooh  !  "  exclaimed  Joel,  "  it  wasn't  worth 
finding  out,  that  old  secret.  But  it's  as  good  as 
girls  ever  get  up,"  he  finished  with  a  supercilious 
air. 

"  It  was  a  perfectly  splendid  play  !  "  cried 
Alexia,  "  and  much  too  good  for  a  lot  of  boys. 
Goodness,  Joey,  I  wouldn't  celebrate  if  you  four 
were  coming  home  from  school  to  our  house. 
I'd  have  the  jollification  the  night  before  you 
went  back." 

"  I  wouldn't  go  home  if  'twas  to  your  house," 
declared  Joel  with  equal  candor.  "  I'd  run  off 
to  sea,  first." 


AFTER    THE    PLAY.  103 

"Come,  »ome,  you  two,  stop  sparring,"  cried 
Jasper,  holding  out  his  hand  ;  "  it's  our  turn 
again,  Alexia.  Joe,  take  yourself  off." 

Alexia  flashing  Joel  a  bright,  making-up  smile, 
dashed  off  into  the  figure. 

"  Good-by,"  said  Joel  with  a  smile  as  cheery, 
for  he  really  liked  her  the  best  of  all  Polly's  girl 
friends. 

After  the  dance,  supper  was  announced,  and 
everybody  marched  out  to  the  supper  room ; 
the  dancers  with  their  partners  following. 

"Will  you  allow  me?"  Mr.  Alstyne  seeing 
the  movement,  got  out  of  his  chair  and  offered 
his  arm  to  Polly  with  a  courtly  bow. 

"  Oh !  don't  think  of  me,  sir,"  she  began, 
blushing  very  hard.  "  Joel  will  look  out  for 
me." 

"  I  much  prefer  waiting  upon  Miss  Polly 
Pepper  to  any  other  lady  in  the  room,"  said 
Mr.  Alstyne,  with  another  bow,  courtlier  than 
the  first,  "  since  Mrs.  Alstyne  is  provided  for. 
See,  Polly,  Mr.  King  is  taking  her  out.  And 


104 


AFTER    THE    PLAY. 


your  mother  has  her   cavalier,  in  Mr.  Cabot ; 
and  Mrs.  Whitney  has  already  gone  out  with 


JOEL    WAS    CHATTING     AWAY     TO    A     PRETTY    LITTLE 
CREATURE. 


Mr.   Fairfax.     So  if  you  don't  accept  my  ser- 
vices, I  shall  be  entirely  left  out  in  the  cold." 


AFTER    THE    PLAY.  105 

He  stood  offering  her  his  arm,  and  Polly,  laugh- 
ing merrily,  put  her  hand  within  it. 

"  It's  very  good  of  you,  sir,"  she  said  simply, 
as  they  fell  into  step  and  joined  the  procession. 

"I'm  afraid  if  you  had  trusted  to  Joel's  tender 
mercies,  you  would  have  fared  hardly,"  said  Mr. 
Alstyne,  laughing.  "  Look,  Polly,  over  yonder  in 
the  corner."  They  were  just  passing  into  the 
supper  room,  and  now  caught  sight  of  Joel 
chatting  away  to  a  very  pretty  little  creature, 
in  blue  and  white,  as  busily  and  unconcernedly 
as  if  he  had  done  that  sort  of  thing  for  years. 

"  Why !  "  cried  Polly  quite  aghast,  "  that  can't 
be  Joel.  He  just  hates  girls,  you  know,  Mr. 
Alstyne,  and  never  goes  to  parties." 

"  He  seems  to  be  able  to  endure  it  all  very 
well  to-night,"  said  her  companion  dryly.  "  Shall 
I  get  you  an  ice,  Miss  Polly  ? " 

"Yes,  thank  you,"  said  Polly  absently,  not 
being  able  to  take  her  eyes  off  from  Joel  and 
his  friend.  At  last,  by  the  force  of  attraction, 
he  turned  and  looked  at  her.  But  instead  of 


106  AFTER    THE    PLAY. 

showing  self-consciousness,  his  round  eyes  sur- 
veyed her  coolly,  while  he  went  on  talking  and 
laughing  with  the  little  blue-and-white  thing. 

"  Polly,  Polly,"  exclaimed  Alexia  Rhys,  hurry- 
ing up,  while  Jasper  was  storming  the  supper 
table  for  her,  "  do  look  at  Joel  Pepper  !  He 
actually  brought  in  a  girl  to  supper !" 

"I  see,"  said  Polly,  gazing  at  the  two  in  a 
fascinated  way. 

"On  the  other  hand,"  said  Alexia,  sending 
swift,  bird-like  glances  around  the  supper  room, 
"there  are  Van  and  Percy  moping  off  by  them- 
selves as  if  they  hadn't  a  friend  in  the  world. 
What  a  pity;  they  used  to  be  so  lively  at 
parties." 

Polly  wrenched  her  gaze  away  from  the  aston- 
ishing sight  on  which  it  had  been  fixed,  and 
following  Alexia's  glance,  took  a  keen  look  over 
at  the  young  Whitneys.  "  Oh  !  oh  !  I  must  go 
to  them,"  she  cried  remorsefully.  "  Tell  Mr. 
Alstyne,  please,  when  he  comes  back,  where  I 
am."  and  without  another  word  she  dashed  back 


AFTER    THE    PLAY.  107 

of  some  gaily  dressed  ladies  just  entering  the 
supper  room,  and  was  out  of  the  door. 

"  If  I  ever  did !  "  cried  Alexia  irritably  to  her- 
self, "  see  anything  so  queer  !  Now  she  thinks 
she  must  race  after  those  boys,  I  wish  I'd  kept 
still.  Jasper,  she's  just  as  funny  as  ever,"  as  he 
came  up  with  a  plate  of  salad,  and  some  oysters. 

"  Who  ? "  said  the  boy ;  "  is  this  right, 
Alexia?"  offering  the  plate. 

"Why,  Polly,"  said  Alexia;  "yes,  that's 
lovely,"  with  a  comforted  glance  at  the  plate 
and  its  contents.  "  Oh !  she's  gone  off,  Mr. 
Alstyne,"  to  that  gentleman,  approaching  with 
Polly's  ice.  "  You  can't  expect  her  to  stay  for 
the  goodies,"  beginning  to  nibble  at  her  own. 

"Where  is  she  ?  "  cried  Mr.  Alstyne,  laughing, 
and  sweeping  the  room  with  his  brown  eyes. 
"  Oh  !  I  see,"  his  glance  lighting  on  the  Whit- 
ney boys'  corner. 

"  Yes,  she  told  me  to  tell  you,"  said  Alexia, 
between  her  mouthfuls  of  salad  and  oyster, 
"  where  she  is,"  as  he  started. 


I08  AFTER    THE    PLAY. 

"  O,  Percy  and  Van  !  "  Polly  was  whispering 
hurriedly,  "  I'm  sorry  I  hurt  your  feelings,  only 
it  was  so  very  dreadful,  you  know,  to  hear  you 
go  on  so  to  each  other." 

"We  didn't  mean  anything,"  said  Percy,  push- 
ing one  foot  back  and  forth  in  an  embarrassed 
way,  and  looking  as  if  he  did  not  know  what  to 
do  with  his  hands,  which  confused  him  more 
than  anything  else,  as  he  had  been  quite  sure 
of  them  on  all  previous  occasions. 

Van  thrust  his  into  his  pockets,  and  seemed 
on  the  point  of  whistling,  but  remembering 
where  he  was,  took  his  lips  speedily  out  of  their 
curves,  and  looked  the  other  way. 

Just  then  Mr.  Alstyne  came  up. 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  Polly  suddenly,  the  color  rush- 
ing over  her  face.  "  Could  you,  Mr.  Alstyne, 
give  that  to  some  one  else  ?  Percy  and  Van 
are  going  to  wait  upon  me." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  said  Mr.  Alstyne  in  a  flash, 
"  nothing  easier  ;  "  and  he  disappeared  as  sud- 
denly as  he  came. 


AFTER    THE    PLAY.  1 09 

"  Now,  boys,"  said  Polly,  turning  back  to 
them  and  whispering  busily,  "  I  know  you  won't 
ever  say  such  perfectly  dreadful  things  to  each 
other  again.  And  so  I'm  going  to  ask  you  both 
to  get  me  something  to  eat,  will  you? " 

"  How  do  you  know  we  won't  ? "  cried  Percy 
slowly.  He  was  sorry  enough  for  the  episode 
iu  the  coach,  yet  couldn't  resist  the  temptation 
to  show  he  was  not  to  be  driven. 

"  Because  I  shall  then  have  nothing  whatever 
to  eat,"  said  Polly  merrily,  "for  of  course  I 
can't  take  a  bit  from  anybody  else  after  refusing 
Mr.  Alstyne's  kindness.  Don't  you  see  ?  O, 
Percy  !  you  wouldn't  quite  do  that  ?  " 

Van  laughed.  "  She's  got  us,  Percy,"  he 
said,  "quite  fast.  You  know  you  won't  fight, 
and  I  won't  again ;  we  both  said  so  a  little  while 
back  ;  so  what's  the  good  of  holding  out  now  ?  " 

Percy  drew  himself  up  very  slowly  and  de- 
cidedly. "  I  won't  trouble  you  so  again,  Polly," 
holding  out  his  hand.  "Now  would  you  like 
oysters  ? "  all  in  the  same  breath. 


110  AFTER    THE    PLAY. 

"And  here's  mine,"  cried  Van,  extending  his 
brown  one.  "  Can't  I  bring  you  some  salad  ?  " 

"Yes,  yes,"  cried  Polly  gaily,  and  she  released 
their  hands  after  a  cordial  grasp.  "  You  may 
bring  me  everything  straight  through,  boys,"  as 
they  rushed  off,  heads  erect,  to  the  crowded 
supper-table. 

"  You've  had  a  good  time  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Pep- 
per slowly,  with  a  keen  glance  into  the  flushed 
face  and  sparkling  eyes,  as  they  turned  up  the 
gas  in  Polly's  bedroom.  "  Dear  me  !  it  is  half- 
past  eleven." 

"  Splendid,"  said  Polly,  shaking  herself  free 
from  the  white  gown  and  beginning  to  braid  her 
hair  for  the  night.  "  Percy  and  Van  were  per- 
fectly lovely,  and  Mr.  Alstyne  was  so  good  to 
me.  And  oh!  Mamsie,  isn't  dear  Mr.  King 
just  the  dearest  dear,  to  give  all  this  to  the 
boys?  We  haven't  thanked  him  half  enough." 

"  He  is  indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper  heartily. 
"Why,  where  is  Phronsie?  "  looking  around  the 
room. 


AFTER   THE    PLAY.  113 

"She  was  right  back  of  you,"  said  Polly. 
"She  wanted  to  take  off  her  things  herself. 
Did  you  ever  see  such  a  sweet"  —  she  began, 
but  Mrs.  Pepper  did  not  stop  to  hear,  hurrying 
out  to  the  adjoining  room,  shared  by  the  mother 
and  her  baby. 

"  She  isn't  here,"  Polly  heard  her  say  in  be- 
wildered tones.  So  Polly,  her  long  hair  blown 
about  her  face,  ran  in,  brush  in  hand. 

"Why,  where"  —  she  began  laughingly. 

"  She  wouldn't  go  down-stairs,  I  don't  think," 
said  Mrs.  Pepper,  peering  in  all  the  corners, 
and  even  meditating  a  look  under  the  bed. 

"No,  no,"  cried  Polly,  "the  lights  are  all 
turned  out,"  investigating  all  possible  and  im- 
possible nooks  that  a  mouse  could  creep  into. 
"  Where  can  she  be  ?  Phronsie  —  Phronsie  ! " 

"Well,  of  course  she  is  down-stairs,"  de- 
clared Mrs.  Pepper  at  last,  hurrying  out  of  the 
room. 

"Take  a  candle,  Mamsie,  you'll  fall,"  cried 
Polly,  and  throwing  on  her  bath  wrapper,  she 


114  AFTER    THE    PLAY. 

seized  the  light  from  the  mantel  and  hurried 
after  her. 

Half-way  down  she  could  hear  Phronsie's  gay 
little  laugh,  and  catch  the  words  "Good-night, 
my  dear  Grandpapa,"  and  then  she  came  slowly 
out  from  Mr.  King's  sitting-room,  and  softly 
closed  the  door. 

"  Phronsie  !  "  exclaimed  Polly,  sitting  down 
on  the  middle  of  the  stairs,  the  candle  shaking 
ominously,  "  how  could  "  — 

"  Hush ! "  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  who  had  fumbled 
her  way  along  the  hall.  "  Don't  say  anything. 
O,  Phronsie  dear,  so  you  went  down  to  bid 
Grandpapa  good-night,  did  you  ?  " 

Phronsie  turned  a  glance  of  gentle  surprise 
on  her  mother,  and  then  looked  up  at  Polly. 

"  No,  not  exactly  to  bid  him  good-night,"  she 
said  slowly.  "I  was  afraid  he  was  sick;  I 
heard  him  coughing,  so  I  went  down." 

"He  is  quite  well,  isn't  he?"  asked  Mrs. 
Pepper.  "  Here,  give  me  your  hand,  child ;  we 
must  get  up  to  bed." 


AFTER   THE    PLAY.  115 

"O  yes  !  he  is  quite  really  and  truly  all  well," 
declared  Phronsie,  breaking  into  another  glad 
little  laugh.  "He  said  he  never  had  such  a 
beautiful  time  in  his  life,  and  he  is  just  as  well 
as  he  can  be.  O,  Polly ! "  as  she  picked  up  her 
Princess  gown  and  prepared  to  ascend  the  stairs, 
"  how  funny  you  look  sitting  there  !  " 

"  Funny  ? "  said  Polly  grimly.  "  I  dare  say, 
and  I  feel  funny  too,  Phronsie." 


CHAPTER   VI. 

THE    LITTLE    BROWN    HOUSE. 

THEY  were  all  sitting  around  the  library 
fire  ;  Polly  under  the  pretext  of  holding 
Phronsie's  head  in  her  lap,  was  sitting  on  the 
rug  beside  her,  the  boys  on  either  hand  ;  old 
Mr.  King  was  inarching  up  and  down  the  long 
room,  and  looking  at  them.  The  merriest  of 
stories  had  been  told,  Polly  urging  on  all  the 
school  records  of  jolly  times,  and  those  not  so 
enjoyable ;  songs  had  been  sung,  and  all  sorts 
of  nonsense  aired.  At  last  Joel  sprang  up  and 
ran  over  to  pace  by  the  old  gentleman's  side. 

"  Christmas  was  good  enough,"  said  the  boy, 
by  way  of  beginning  conversation. 

"  Hey?"  responded  the  old  gentleman,  look 
ing  down  at  him,  "  I  should  think  it  was.  Well, 
116 


THE    LITTLE    BROWN    HOUSE.  117 

and  how  about  the  wonderful  play  on  the 
twenty-first  ?  And  that  was  good  enough  too,  I 
dare  say." 

"That  was  well  enough,"  said  Joel  indiffer- 
ently, "  I  don't  care  for  such  stuff,  though." 

"Tut  —  tut!"  cried  Mr.  King  in  pretended 
anger,  "  now  I  won't  have  anything  said  against 
that  wonderful  production.  Not  a  thing,  sir, 
do  you  hear  ?  " 

Joel  laughed,  his  chubby  face  twinkling  all 
over  in  secret  amusement.  "  Well,  I  know  some- 
thing better,  if  you'll  only  let  us  do  it,  sir,  than 
a  hundred  old  plays." 

"And  pray  what  is  it  ?"  demanded  Mr.  King, 
"let's  have  it  at  once.  But  the  idea  of  surpass- 
ing the  play !  O,  no,  no,  it  can't  be  done, 
sir! " 

"  It's  to  go  and  see  the  Little  Brown  House," 
said  Joel,  standing  up  on  his  tiptoes  to  a  level 
with  the  old  gentleman's  ear,  and  one  eye  look- 
ing backward  to  see  that  nobody  heard. 

Mr.  King  started,  pulled  his  handsome  mous- 


Il8  THE    LITTLE    BROWN    HOUSE. 

"cache  thoughtfully,  looked  at  Joel  sharply,  and 
then  over  at  the  group  in  the  firelight. 

"  They  don't  know  anything  about  it,"  cried 
the  boy  in  a  whisper,  "  don't  tell  them,  it's  my 
secret,  and  yours,"  he  added  generously.  "Oh! 
if  we  might  only  go  and  look  at  it." 

"  It's  winter,"  observed  the  old  gentleman, 
and  stepping  to  the  window  he  put  aside  the 
draperies,  to  peer  out  into -the  black  evening. 
"  Yes,  it  really  is  winter,"  he  added  with  a 
shiver,  to  the  boy  who  was  close  behind,  and  as 
if  no  longer  in  doubt  about  it,  he  added  most 
emphatically,  "  it  really  is  winter,  Joel." 

"  Well,  but  you  never  saw  anything  like  it, 
how  magnificent  winter  is  in  Baclgertown,"  cried 
Joel  in  an  excited  whisper.  "  Such  hills  to  coast 
down ;  the  snow  is  always  crisp  there,  sir, 
not  like  this  dirty  town  mud.  And  the  air  is 
as  dry  as  punk,"  he  added  artfully.  "  Oh ! 
'twould  be  such  a  lark ; "  he  actually  clasped 
his  hands. 

"  Badgertown  isn't  so  very  far  off,"  said  Mr. 


THE    LITTLE    BROWN    HOUSE.  119 

King  thoughtfully,  "  I'll  think  about  it  and  see 
if  we  can  manage  it." 

"  Ugh-ow !  "  squealed  Joel,  utterly  forgetful 
of  his  caution  of  secrecy,  "  we  can,  we  can ;  we 
can  open  the  little  brown  house,  and  build  great 
fires  there,  and  "  — 

But  he  got  no  further.  Into  the  midst  of 
Van's  liveliest  sally,  came  the  words  "little 
brown  house,"  bringing  all  the  young  people  to 
their  feet,  Phronsie  running  to  the  old  gentle- 
man's side,  with,  "What  is  it,  Grandpapa?  He 
said  little  brown  house." 

"Get  away!"  cried  Joel  crossly  to  the  be- 
siegers, each  and  all  wildly  clamoring.  "What 
is  it  ?  What  are  you  talking  about  ?  It's  my 
secret,"  he  cried,  "and  his,"  pointing  with  a 
dismayed  finger  to  Mr.  King. 

"Well,  it  isn't  a  secret  any  longer,"  cried 
Polly,  flushing  with  excitement.  "You  said 
'little  brown  house,'  we  heard  you  just  as 
plainly;  and  you're  getting  up  something,  I 
know  you  are." 


120  THE    LITTLE    BROWN    HOUSE. 

"  People  don't  usually  select  a  roomful  of 
listeners,  and  then  shout  out  their  secrets,"  said 
Jasper.  "  You  are  in  for  it  now,  Joe,  and  no 
mistake.  Go  ahead,  old  fellow,  and  give  us  the 
rest  of  it." 

Joel  whirled  away  from  them  all  in  despera- 
tion. 

"  You  might  as  well,"  laughed  the  old  gentle- 
man, "  the  mischief  is  done  now,  and  no  mis- 
take." 

So  Joel,  thus  set  upon,  allowed  the  whole 
beautiful  plan  to  be  wrung  from  him,  by  slow 
and  torturing  installments ;  how  they  all  were  to 
go  to  Badgertown,  open  the  little  brown  house, 
and  stay  there  —  here  he  glanced  at  Mr.  King 
—  "  perhaps  a  week,"  he  brought  out  suddenly, 
filling  the  time  with  all  sorts  of  frolics,  and 
playing  they  were  there  again,  and  really  and 
truly  living  in  the  old  home. 

At  last  it  was  all  out,  to  be  received  in  differ- 
ent ways  by  the  listeners. 

"  O,  Joe  ! "  cried    Davie   with    shining   eyes. 


THE    LITTLE    BROWN    HOUSE.  121 

"  We  never  could  come  away  again  if  we  once 
get  there,  never !  " 

Polly  stood  quite  still,  a  mist  gathering  before 
her  glad  eyes,  out  of  which  she  dimly  saw  the 
little  brown  house  arise  and  beckon  to  her. 

Phronsie  jumped  up  and  down  and  clapped 
her  hands  in  glee.  "O,  Grandpapa,  Grand- 
papa!" she  screamed,  "please  take  us  to  the 
little  brown  house,  please." 

That  settled  it.  "  I  do  not  think  we  need  to 
consider  it  longer,"  said  Mr.  King,  glancing  at 
Ben,  whose  face  told  what  he  thought,  "  chil- 
dren, we  will  go  —  that  is,  if  Mrs.  Pepper  says 
yes." 

"  I  will  ask  her,"  cried  Joel  with  a  howl, 
springing  off. 

"  Come  on,"  cried  Jasper,  "  let's  all  '  be  in  at 
the  death.' "  And  the  library  was  deserted  in 
a  twinkling. 

But  mother  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  "  Up- 
stairs, down-stairs,  and  in  the  lady's  chamber," 
they  sought  her  wildly  and  thoroughly. 


122  THE    LITTLE    BROWN    HOUSE. 

"  Oh  !  I  forgot,"  exclaimed  Polly,  when  at  last 
they  gathered  in  the  wide  hall,  disposing  them- 
selves on  the  chairs  and  along  the  stairs,  all 
tired  out.  "  She  has  gone  to  evening  meeting 
with  Auntie.  How  stupid  in  me  not  to  remem- 
ber that." 

"  Well,  I  declare  !  "  cried  a  voice  above  them, 
and  looking  up  they  met  the  cold  blue  eyes  of 
Mrs.  Chatterton  regarding  them  over  the  rail- 
ing. "  Cousin  Horatio,  do  you  keep  a  menag- 
erie, or  a  well-ordered  house,  I  beg  to  inquire  ?  " 

"  A  menagerie,"  said  Mr.  King  coolly,  leaning 
on  the  balustrade  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  and 
looking  up  at  her.  "All  sorts  of  strange  ani- 
mals wander  in  here,  Cousin." 

"Hum;  I  understand.  I'm  not  so  dull  as 
you  think.  Well,  you've  changed,  let  me  tell 
you,  vastly,  and  not  for  the  better  either,  in  the 
last  six  years.  Who  would  ever  suppose  I  see 
before  me  fastidious  Horatio  King ! "  she  ex- 
claimed, lifting  her  long  thin  hands  to  show  him 
their  horror-stricken  palms. 


'WELL,  i  DECLARE!"  CRIED  A  VOICE  ABOVK  THEM. 


THE    LITTLE    BROWN    HOUSE.  125 

"  I  dare  say,  I  dare  say,  Cousin  Eunice,"  as- 
sented Mr.  King  carelessly,  "  but  I  consider  all 
you  say  as  a  compliment." 

"  Compliment  ?  "  she  repeated  disdainfully 
and  added  with  a  rising  note  of  anger,  forget 
ting  herself,  "there's  no  fool  like  an  old  fool." 

"So  I  think,"  said  Mr.  King  in  the  same  tone 
as  before.  "  Children,  come  into  my  room  now, 
and  close  the  door.''  And  Cousin  Eunice  was 
left  to  air  further  opinions  to  her  own  ear. 

But  when  Mother  Pepper  and  Mrs.  Whitney 
did  come  home  from  the  meeting,  oh!  what  a 
time  there  was.  They  all  fell  upon  her,  as  soon 
as  the  door  opened,  and  the  whole  air  was  filled 
with  "Little  brown  house."  "May  we  —  may 
we?"  "A  whole  week."  "  Two  days,  Mamsie, 
do  say  yes,"  and  Phronsie's  glad  little  chirp 
"  Grandpapa  wants  to  go,  he  does ! "  ending 
every  other  exclamation. 

"What  a  babel,"  cried  Mrs.  Pepper,  her  black 
eyes  roving  over  the  excited  group.  "  Now  what 
is  it  all  about?  Baby,  you  tell  mother  first." 


126  THE    LITTLE    BROWN    HOUSE. 

Phronsie  was  not  too  big  to  jump  into  the 
comfortable  lap,  and  while  her  fingers  played 
with  the  bonnet  strings,  she  laid  the  whole  de- 
lightful plan  open,  the  others  hanging  over  them 
in  ill-suppressed  excitement. 

"Well,  you  see,  Mamsie,"  she  began  deliber- 
ately. 

"Oh!  you  are  so  slow,  Phronsie,"  exclaimed 
Poll}7,  "  do  hurry." 

"  Let  her  take  her  own  time,"  said  Mr.  King, 
"go  on,  child." 

"  Dear  Grandpapa,"  proceeded  Phronsie, 
turning  her  yellow  head  to  look  at  him,  her 
hand  yet  among  the  bonnet  strings,  "  is  going 
to  take  us  all,  every  sin-gle  one,  to  see  the  little 
brown  house,  and  just  touch  it  once,  and  be 
sure  it's  there,  and  peek  in  the  doors  and  win- 
dows and"  — 

"No,  no,"  roared  Joel,  "we're  going  to  stay, 
and  a  week  too,"  hopping  confidently  up  and 
down. 

"  O,  Joe !  not  a  week,"  corrected   Polly  with 


THE    LITTLE    BROWN    HOUSE.  I2J 

glowing  cheeks,  "perhaps  two  days,  we  don't 
know  yet." 

"Three  —  three,"  begged  Van,  pushing  his 
head  further  into  the  centre  of  the  group. 
"  Mrs.  Pepper,  do  say  you  want  to  stay  three 
days,"  he  begged. 

"  I  haven't  said  I  wanted  to  go  yet,"  she 
answered  with  a  smile. 

"  Now  you  every  one  of  you  keep  quiet," 
commanded  Mr.  King,  raising  his  hand,  "or 
you'll  spoil  the  whole  thing.  Phronsie  shall  tell 
her  story  as  she  likes." 

Thereupon  the  rest,  with  the  shadow  of  his 
warning  that  the  whole  might  be  spoiled,  fell 
back  to  a  vigorous  restraint  once  more. 

"Perhaps,"  cried  Phronsie  with  shining  eyes, 
and  grasping  the  strings  tighter  she  leaned  for- 
ward and  pressed  her  red  iips  on  the  mother's 
mouth,  "  we'll  go  in  and  stay.  O,  Mamsie  !  " 

That  "  O,  Mamsie ! "  carried  the  day,  and 
every  one  hanging  on  the  conversation,  knew  as 
soon  as  they  heard  it,  that  a  victory  had  been  won. 


128  THE    LITTLE    BROWN    HOUSE. 

"  It's  no  use  to  contend  against  the  Fates," 
said  Mrs.  Whitney,  laughing,  "  Mrs.  Pepper, 
you  and  I  know  that." 

"That's  so,"  cried  old  Mr.  King,  "and  who- 
ever finds  it  out  early  in  life,  is  the  lucky  one. 
Now,  children,  off  with  you  and  talk  it  over," 
he  cried,  dismissing  them  as  if  they  were  all 
below  their  teens.  "  I  want  to  talk  with  Mrs. 
Pepper  now." 

And  in  two  days  they  were  off.  Mrs.  Chat- 
terton  with  nose  high  in  the  air,  and  plentiful 
expressions  of  disgust  at  such  a  midwinter  ex- 
pedition, taking  herself  off  to  make  a  visit  of 
corresponding  length,  to  some  distant  relatives. 

"  I  hope  and  pray  this  may  not  get  into  a 
society  paper,"  she  cried  at  the  last,  as  she  was 
seated  in  the  carriage,  "  but  of  course  it  will ; 
outre  things  always  do.  And  we  shall  be  dis- 
graced for  life.  One  comfort  remains  to  me,  I 
am  not  in  it." 

Mr.  King,  holding  the  carriage  door,  laughed 
long  and  loudly.  "  No,  Cousin  Eunice,"  he 


THE    LITTLE    BROWN    HOUSE.  129 

said,  "  you  are  not  in  it.  Take  comfort  in  that 
thought.  Good-by,"  and  the  carriage  rolled  off. 

Mother  Pepper  and  the  "five  little  Peppers" 
were  going  back  to  the  little  brown  house. 
"Really  and  truly  we  are,"  as  Phronsie  kept 
saying  over  and  over  with  every  revolution  of 
the  car-wheels,  in  a  crooning  fashion,  and  mak- 
ing it  impossible  for  Mr.  King  to  shiver  in 
apprehension  at  the  step  he  was  taking.  Were 
not  two  cases  of  blankets  and  household  com- 
forts safely  packed  away  in  the  luggage  car? 
"  It's  not  such  a  dreadful  risk,"  said  the  old 
gentleman  gruffly  to  himself,  "  it's  quite  a  com- 
mon occurrence  nowadays  to  take  a  winter  out- 
ing in  the  country.  We're  all  right,"  and  he 
re-enforced  himself  further  by  frequent  glances 
at  Mrs.  Pepper's  black  bonnet,  two  seats  off. 

It  was  to  be  a  three  days'  frolic,  after  all. 
Not  that  the  whole  party  were  to  stay  in  the 
little  brown  house.  O  dear,  no!  how  could 
they  ?  It  was  only  big  enough  for  the  Peppers. 
So  Mrs.  Whitney  and  her  thre'e  boys,  with  Mr. 


130  THE    LITTLE    BROWN    HOUSE. 

King,  and  Jasper,  who  concealed  many  disap- 
pointed feelings,  planned  to  settle  down  in  the 
old  hotel  at  Hingham. 

And  before  anybody  imagined  they  could 
reach  there  so  soon,  there  they  were  at  Badger- 
town  Centre,  to  find  Mr.  Tisbett  waiting  there 
on  his  stage-box  as  if  he  had  not  stirred  from  it 
for  five  years. 

"  Sho,  now  !  "  he  called  out  from  his  elevated 
position  to  Mrs.  Pepper,  as  she  stepped  down 
from  the  car,  "it's  good  to  see  you,  though. 
Land  !  how  many  of  ye  be  there  ?  And  is  that 
Phronsie  ?  Sho,  now  !  " 

"  Did  you  get  my  letter  ? "  exclaimed  Mother 
Pepper  to  Mrs.  Henderson,  who  was  pressing 
up  to  grasp  her  hand,  and  preparing  to  fall  on 
the  young  folks  separately.  The  parson  stood 
just  back,  biding  his  time  with  a  smile. 

"Is  it  possible?  "he  exclaimed;  "are  these 
tall  boys  and  girls  the  five  little  Peppers  ?  It 
can't  be,  Mrs.  Pepper,"  as  at  last  he  had  he? 
hand.  "  You  are  imposing  on  us." 


THE    LITTLE    BROWN    HOUSE.  131 

And  then  the  village  people  who  had  held 
back  until  their  pastor  and  his  wife  paid  their 
respects,  rushed  up  and  claimed  their  rights,  and 
it  was  high  holiday  indeed  for  Badgertown. 

"  My  goodness  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  King  at  a 
little  remove  and  viewing  the  scene  with  great 
disfavor,  "this  is  worse  than  the  danger  of 
taking  cold.  Have  they  no  sense,  to  carry  on 
like  this?" 

"  They're  so  glad  to  see  the  Peppers  again, 
father,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney  with  bright  eyes. 
"  You  took  them  away  from  all  these  good  peo- 
ple, you  know ;  it's  but  fair  to  give  them  up  for 
one  day." 

The  old  gentleman  fumed  and  fretted,  how- 
ever, in  a  subdued  fashion  ;  at  last  wisely  turning 
his  back,  he  began  to  stalk  down  the  platform, 
under  pretense  of  examining  the  landscape. 

"  Your  friends  will  stay  with  us,"  Mrs.  Hen- 
derson was  saying  in  a  gently  decisive  manner, 
"the  old  parsonage  is  big  enough,"  she  added 
with  a  lau<rh. 


132  THE    LITTLE    BROWN    HOUSE. 

"  Oh !  you  are  so  good  and  thoughtful,  dear 
Mrs.  Henderson,"  cried  Mrs.  Pepper  with  de- 
light at  the  thought  of  the  homelike  warmth  of 
the  parsonage  life  awaiting  the  old  gentleman, 
for  whom  she  was  dreading  the  dreary  hotel. 

"  I'm  good  to  ourselves,"  declared  the  par- 
son's wife  gaily. 

Jasper  gave  a  shout  when  the  new  arrange- 
ment was  declared,  as  it  presently  was  by  Percy 
and  Van,  who  flung  themselves  after  him  as  he 
was  seeing  to  the  luggage  with  Ben,  and  his 
face  glowed  with  the  greatest  satisfaction. 

"That  is  jolly,"  he  exclaimed,  "and  that's  a 
fact !  Now,  Ben,  we're  but  a  stone's  throw 
apart.  Rather  different,  isn't  it,  old  fellow,  from 
the  time  when  I  used  to  race  over  from  Hing- 
ham  with  Prince  at  my  heels  ?  " 

Dr.  Fisher's  little  thin,  wiry  figure  was  now 
seen  advancing  upon  the  central  group,  and 
everybody  fell  away  to  let  him  have  his  chance 
to  welcome  the  Peppers. 

"  I  couldn't  get  here  before,"  he  cried,   his 


THE    LITTLE    BROWN    HOUSE.  133 

eyes  glowing  behind  his  spectacles.  "  I've  left 
a  very  sick  patient.  This  is  good,"  he  took 
them  all  in  with  a  loving  glance,  but  his  hand 
held  to  Polly.  "  Now  I'm  going  to  drive  you 
down  in  my  gig,"  he  said  to  her  at  last.  "Will 
you  come  ? " 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  cried  Polly  in  delight,  as  her 
mother  smiled  approval,  and  she  ran  off  to  let 
him  help  her  in.  "  It's  only  yesterday  since 
you  took  me  to  drive,  Dr.  Fisher,  and  you  gave 
me  my  stove  —  is  it  ?  "  And  so  she  rambled  on, 
the  little  doctor  quite  charmed  to  hear  it  all. 

But  Mr.  Tisbett  h#d  a  truly  dreadful  time 
placing  his  party  in  the  old  stage,  as  the  towns- 
folk, fearful  that  so  good  a  chance  for  seeing 
the  Peppers  would  not  happen  during  the  three 
days'  stay,  insisted  on  crowding  up  close  to  the 
ancient  vehicle,  and  getting  in  everybody's  way, 
thereby  calling  forth  some  exclamations  from 
Mr.  King  that  could  not  be  regarded  as  exactly 
complimentary.  And  quite  sure  that  he  was  a 
frightful  tyrant,  they  fell  back  with  many  a  pity- 


134  THE    LITTLE    BROWN    HOUSE. 

<ng  glance  at  the  Pepper  family  whom  he  was 
endeavoring  to  assist  into  their  places. 


GOOD-BY,"   SANG   OUT   JOEL. 


At  last  it  was  all  accomplished  in  some  way, 
and  Mr.  Tisbett  cracked  his  whip,  Mrs.  Pepper 


THE    LITTLE   BROWN    HOUSE.  135 

and  Phronsie  leaned  out  of  the  window  to  bow 
right  and  left  into  smiling  faces,  Ben  and  Davie 
did  the  same  over  their  heads. 

"  Good-by,"  sang  out  Joel,  whom  the  stage 
driver  had  taken  up  beside  him.  "Here  ve  are, 
off  for  the  '  little  brown  house.'  G'lang  I  ' 


CHAPTER   VII. 

OLD    TIMES    AGAIN. 

DON'T  let  me  look  —  oh!  don't  let  me 
look,"  cried  Polly  in  the  old  gig,  and 
twisting  around,  she  hid  her  face  against  the 
faded  green  cloth  side.  "  I  ought  not  to  see 
the  little  brown  house  before  Mamsie  and  the 
others  do." 

"  I'll  turn  down  the  lane,"  said  the  little 
doctor,  "so";  and  suiting  the  action  to  the 
word,  Polly  could  feel  that  they  were  winding 
down  the  narrow  little  road  over  toward  Grandma 
Bascom's.  She  could  almost  smell  the  violets 
and  anemones  under  the  carpet  of  snow,  and 
could  scarcely  restrain  herself  from  jumping 
out  for  a  riotous  run. 

136 


OLD    TIMES    AGAIN.  137 

"  Don't  go  too  far  away,"  she  cried  in  sudden 
alarm.  "We  must  be  there  by  the  time  the 
stage  does."  And  she*  applied  her  eye  to  the 
little  circular  glass  in  the  back  of  the  gig. 
"  Will  it  never  come  —  oh  !  here  it  is,  here  it  is, 
dear  Dr.  Fisher."  And  with  a  quick  flourish 
around  of  the  old  horse,  they  were  soon  before 
the  little  brown  house,  and  helping  out  the 
inmates  of  the  stage,  who  with  more  spe'ed 
than  grace,  were  hurrying  over  the  steps. 

Joel  was  down  before  Mr.  Tisbett  had  fairly 
drawn  up  in  front  of  the  gate.  "  Hold  on," 
roared  the  stage  driver,  "  I  don't  v:ant  you  to 
break  your  neck  with  me." 

"  It's  really  here  !  "  cried  Phronsie  with  wide 
eyes,  standing  quite  still  on  a  hummock  of  frozen 
snow,  with  her  eyes  riveted  on  the  house.  "  It 
really  is !  "  Polly  had  raced  up  the  winding 
path,  and  over  the  flat  stone  to  drop  a  kiss  on 
the  little  old  door. 

"  Oh !  oh !  Mamsie,  do  come  ! "  she  cried  to 
Mrs.  Pepper  on  the  path. 


138  OLD   TIMES   AGAIN. 

"  Hum  !  I  think,  Jasper,  you  and  I  will  let 
them  alone  for  a  few  moments,"  said  Mr.  King, 
who  was  still  within  the  stage.  "  Here,  my  good 
fellow,"  to  Mr.  Tisbett,  "  you  say  it's  all  com- 
fortable in  there  for  them  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Tisbett  heartily. 
"  Good  land  !  Mis'  Henderson  had  her  boys 
come  down  airly  this  mornin'  and  make  the 
fires  ;  and  there's  a  mighty  sight  of  things  to 
eat."  The  stage-driver  put  one  foot  on  the  hind 
wheel  to  facilitate  conversation,  and  smacked 
his  lips. 

"  All  very  well.  Now  you  may  drive  us  down 
the  road  a  bit,"  said  Mr.  King,  withdrawing  hu 
head  to  the  depths  of  the  lumbering  old  vehicle 
again. 

"  Ain't  goin'  in?"  cried  Mr.  Tisbett,  opening 
his  round  eyes  at  him  in  astonishment. 

"  Get  up  and  drive  us  on,  I  say,"  commanded 
the  old  gentleman,  "and  cease  your  talking," 
which  had  the  effect  to  send  honest  Mr.  Tisbett 
clambering  expeditiously  up  to  the  box,  where 


OLD   TIMES    AGAIN.  141 

he  presently  revenged  himself  by  driving  furi- 
ously'over  all  the  hard  frozen  ruts  he  could 
quickly  select,  determined  not  to  stop  till  he 
was  obliged  to. 

"Goodness!"  exclaimed  Mr.  King  within, 
holding  to  the  strap  at  the  side,  as  well  as  to 
the  leather  band  of  the  swinging  seat  in  front. 
"  What  a  most  abominable  road  !  " 

"  The  road  is  well  enough,"  said  Jasper,  who 
couldn't  bear  to  have  a  word  uttered  against 
Badgertown,  "it's  the  fellow's  driving  that  makes 
it  rough.  Here,  can't  you  be  a  little  more  care- 
ful to  keep  the  road  ?  "  he  called,  thrusting  his 
head  out  of  the  window.  But  he  only  narrowly 
escaped  losing  his  brown  traveling  cap  for  his 
pains,  as  the  stage  gave  a  worse  lurch  than 
before,  to  introduce  a  series  of  creakings  and 
joltings  hitherto  unparalleled. 

"  I  cannot  endure  this  much  longer,"  said  old 
Mr.  King,  growing  white  around  the  mouth,  and 
wishing  he  had  strength  for  one  half  the  excla- 
mations he  felt  inwardly  capable  of.  Outside. 


142  OLD   TIMES   AGAIN. 

honest  Mr.  Tisbett  was  taking  solid  comfort  in 
the  reflection  that  he  was  teaching  a  rich  city 
man  that  he  could  not  approach  with  anything 
less  than  respect,  a  citizen  of  Badgertown. 

"  Ain't  I  as  good  as  he  ?  "  cried  Mr.  Tisbett 
to  himself,  with  an  extra  cut  to  the  off  horse,  as 
he  spied  a  sharp  ragged  edge  of  ice  along  the 
cart  track  in  front  of  him.  "  Now  that's  good  ; 
that'll  shake  him,"  he  added  cheerfully.  "  Land ! 
but  I  hain't  been  spoke  to  so  since  I  was  sassed 
at  school  by  Jim  Bendy,  and  then  I  licked 
him  enough  to  pay  twice  over.  G'lang  there  — 
easy  ! " 

The  first  thing  he  knew,  one  of  the  glass 
windows  was  shivered  to  fragments;  the  bits 
flying  off  along  the  quiet  road,  to  fall  a  gleam- 
ing shower  upon  the  snow. 

"  Whoa  !  "  called  Mr.  Tisbett  to  his  smoking 
horses,  and  leaning  over,  he  cried,  "  What's  the 
matter  in  there  ?  " 

"The  matter  is,"  said  Jasper,  putting  his  face 
put,  "  that  as  I  could  not  possibly  make  you 


OLD   TIMES    AGAIN.  143 

hear  my  calls,  I  chose  to  break  the  window. 
Have  the  goodness  to  let  my  father  and  I  at 
once  out  of  this  vehicle." 

Mr.  Tisbett  got  down  slowly  over  the  wheel. 
"  Beg  your  pardon,"  he  said  awkwardly,  pulling 
open  the  door,  "  ain't  you  goin'  to  ride  back!" 

"  Heavens  !  "  cried  Mr.  King.  He  was  glad 
to  find  he  could  ejaculate  so  much  as  he 
tremblingly  worked  his  way  out  to  terra  firma, 
"  Nothing  on  earth  would  tempt  me  to  step  foot 
inside  there  again." 

"  Here  is  the  money  for  your  window,"  said 
Jasper,  putting  a  bill  into  the  fur  mitten,  cover- 
ing Mr.  Tisbett's  brawny  right  hand.  "  Kindly 
bring  our  traps  to  the  little  brown  house  ;  here, 
father,  take  my  arm,"  and  he  ran  after  the  tall 
figure,  picking  its  way  along  the  frozen  road. 

"Hey — what's  this?"  exclaimed  Mr.  Tisbett, 
looking  into  the  center  of  his  fur  mitten,  "five 
dollars  !  Gee  —  thumps  !  I  ain't  a-goin'  to 
take  it,  after  shaking  that  old  party  almost  to 
pieces." 


144  OLD    TIMES    AGAIN. 

iHe-  stood  staring  at  the  bill  in  stupid  per- 
plexity till  the  uneasy  movements  of  his  horses 
warned  him  that  his  position  was  not  exactly 
the  proper  one  for  a  stage-driver  who  was  on 
his  box  from  morning  till  night,  so  he  clam- 
bered over  the  wheel,  full  of  vexed  thoughts, 
and  carefully  tucked  the  bill  under  the  old 
cushion  before  he  took  his  seat. 

"  I'll  give  it  back  to  him,  that's  cert'in,"  he 
said,  picking  up  the  reins,  "  and  p'raps  they've 
had  enough  walkin'  so  they'll  let  me  pick  'em 
up,"  which  raised  him  out  of  his  depression  not 
a  little. 

But  the  stern  faces  of  the  old  gentleman,  and 
the  tall  boy,  smote  him  with  a  chill,  long  before 
he  passed  them,  and  he  drove  by  silently,  well 
knowing  it  would  not  do  to  broach  the  subject 
by  so  much  as  a  look. 

Not  daring  to  go  near  the  little  brown  house 
without  the  occupants  of  the  stage  who  had 
driven  down  the  road  with  him,  Mr.  Tisbett 
drew  up  miserably  to  a  convenient  angle,  and 


OLD    TIMES    AGAIN.  145 

waited  till  the  two  came  up.  Then  without 
trusting  himself  to  think,  he  sprang  to  the 
ground,  and  with  shame  written  all  over  his 
honest  face,  called  out,  "  See  here,  you  young 
chap,  I  want  to  speak  to  you,  when  you've  got 
him  in  the  house." 

"I  will  see  you  then,''  said  Jasper,  as  the 
two  hurried  on  to  meet  the  Peppers  rushing 
out  from  the  little  brown  house,  and  down  the 
small  path. 

"  I've  made  an  awful  mess  for  'em  all,  and 
they  just  come  home,"  groaned  Mr.  Tisbett, 
drawing  his  fur  mitten  across  his  eyes,  and 
leading  his  horses,  he  followed  at  a  funeral 
pace,  careful  not  to  stop  at  the  gate  until  the 
door  was  closed,  when  he  began  furiously  to 
unload. 

A  footstep  crunching  the  snow,  broke  into 
the  noise  he  was  making.  "  Hoh !  well,"  he 
exclaimed,  pausing  with  a  trunk  half-off  the 
rack,  "  it's  a  mighty  awkward  thing  for  a  man 
to  say  he's  sorry,  but  you  bet  I  be,  as  cert'in  as 


146  OLD   TIMES   AGAIN. 

my  name's  John  Tisbett."  His  face  became  so 
very  red  that  Jasper  hastened  to  put  his  young 
shoulder  under  the  trunk,  a  movement  that  only 
added  to  the  stage-driver's  distress. 

"It  don't  pay  to  get  mad,  now  I  tell  you," 
declared  Mr.  Tisbett,  dumping  the  trunk  down 
on  the  snow,  and  then  drawing  himself  to  his  full 
height ;  "  fust  place,  your  pa  sassed  me,  and  "  — 

''  He  didn't  intend  to,"  cried  Jasper  eagerly, 
"  and  I'll  apologize  for  him,  if  that's  what  you 
want."  He  laid  his  strong  right  hand  in  the 
old  fur  mitten. 

"  Good  land !  Tain't  what  I  want,"  cried 
honest  John,  but  he  gripped  the  hand  never- 
theless, a  fact  that  the  boy  never  forgot;  "  I  say 
I'm  sorry  I  shook  up  your  pa." 

"  His  age  ought  to  hate  protected  him,"  said 
the  boy  simply. 

"  Sho !  that's  a  fact,"  cried  Mr.  Tisbett,  sink- 
ing in  deeper  distress,  "  but  how  is  anybody  to 
remember  he's  so  old,  when  he  steps  so  almighty 
high,  as  if  he  owned  all  Badgertown  —  say ! " 


OLD   TIMES    AGAIN.  147 

"  I  think  we  shall  be  good  friends,  Mr.  Tis- 
bett,"  said  Jasper  cordially,  and  he  turned  to 
wave  his  hand  toward  the  little  brown  house  ; 
simultaneously  the  door  opened,  and  all  the 
young  Peppers  and  Whitneys  rushed  out  to 
help  in  the  delightful  unloading. 

It  was  well  along  in  the  afternoon.  The  dusk 
of  the  December  twilight  shut  down  speedily, 
around  the  little  brown  house  and  its  happy 
occupants,  but  no  one  wanted  the  candles  lighted 
till  the  last  moment. 

"O,  Polly!"  cried  Joel,  who  was  prancing 
as  of  old  over  the  kitchen  floor,  "  don't  you 
remember  that  night  when  you  said  you  wished 
you  had  two  hundred  candles,  and  you'd  light 
them  all  at  once  ?  " 

"  I  said  a  good  many  silly  things  in  those 
days,"  said  Polly  meditatively,  and  smoothing 
Phronsie's  yellow  hair  that  was  lying  across 
her  lap. 

"  Some  silly  ones,  and  a  good  many  wise 
ones,"  observed  Mother  Pepper,  over  in  her 


148  OLD    TIMES    AGAIN. 

little  old  rocker  in  the  west  window,  where  she 
used  to  sit  sewing  up  coats  and  sacks  for  the 
village  storekeeper.  "You  kept  us  together 
many  a  time,  Polly,  when  nothing  else  could." 

"Oh!  no,  I  didn't,  Mamsie,"  protested  Polly, 
guilty. of  contradicting,  "you  and  Bensie  did. 
I  just  washed  dishes,  and  swept  up,  and  "  — 

"  Baked  and  brewed,  and  fussed  and  stewed," 
finished  Joel,  afraid  of  being  too  sentimental. 

"  Polly  was  just  lovely  in  those  days,"  said 
Davie,  coming  across  the  room  to  lay  a  cool 
cheek  against  her  rosy  one.  "  I  liked  the  rainy 
days  best  when  we  all  could  stay  in  the  house, 
and  hear  her  sing  and  tell  stories  while  she  was 
working." 

"  She  was  cross  sometimes,"  cried  Joel,  deter- 
mined not  to  let  reminiscences  become  too  com- 
fortable; "she  used  to  scold  me  just  awfully,  I 
know." 

Polly  broke  out  into  a  merry  laugh ;  yet  she 
exclaimed  "  You  poor  Josey,  I  expect  I  was 
dreadful ! " 


OLD    TIMES    AGAIN.  149 

"  You  didn't  catch  one  half  as  bad  scoldings 
as  belonged  to  you,"  put  in  Ben,  thrusting  an- 
other stick  in  the  stove.  "  You  were  a  bad  lot, 
Joe,  in  those  days." 

"And  not  over  good  in  these,"  cried  old  Mr. 
King,  ensconced  in  the  snuggest  corner  in  the 
seat  of  honor,  the  high-backed  rocker,  that  com- 
forted Phronsie  after  her  little  toe  was  hurt. 
"  There,  now,  my  boy,  how's  that  ? "  with  a 
grim  smile. 

"  Do  you  remember  when  the  old  stove  used 
to  plague  you,  Polly  ? "  cried  Joel,  suddenly 
changing  the  conversation.  "  And  how  Ben's 
putty  was  everlastingly  tumbling  out  ?  Hoh  — 
hoh !  " 

"  And  you  two  boys  were  always  stuffing  up 
the  holes  for  me,  when  Ben  was  away,"  cried 
Polly,  with  affectionate  glances  at  Davie  and 
Joel. 

"I  didn't  so  much,"  said  Joel  honestly,  "Dave 
was  always  giving  boot-tops  and  such  things." 

"Boot-tops!"  repeated  Mr.  King  in  astonish- 


150  OLD   TIMES    AGAIN. 

ment.  "  Bless  me,  I  didn't  know  that  they  had 
anything  in  common  with  stoves." 

"  Oh  !  that  was  before  we  knew  you,"  said 
Joel,  ready  in  advance  of  any  one  else  with  the 
explanation  ;  "  it  wasn't  this  stove.  Dr.  Fisher 
gave  Polly  this  one  after  she  had  the  measles ; 
but  it  was  a  lumbering  old  affair  that  was  full 
of  holes  that  had  to  be  stopped  up  with  any- 
thing we  could  get.  And  leather  was  the  best ; 
and  Davie  saved  all  his  old  boot-heels  and  tops 
he  could  find,  you  know." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  the  old  gentleman,  wondering  if 
other  revelations  would  come  to  light  about  the 
early  days  of  the  Peppers. 

"  Isn't  Dr.  Fisher  lr  vely  ?  "  cried  Polly,  with 
sparkling  eyes,  "just  the  same  as  ever.  Mam- 
sie,  I  ought  to  do  something  for  him." 

"  He  is  as  good  as  gold,"  assented  Mrs.  Pepper 
heartily.  "  You've  done  something,  I'm  sure, 
Polly.  The  medical  books  you  bought  out  of 
your  pocket  money,  and  sent  him,  pleased  him 
more  than  anything  you  could  give  him." 


OLD   TIMES   AGAIN.  15  r 

"  But  I  want  to  do  something  now,"  said 
Polly.  "  Oh  !  just  think  how  good  he  was  to 
us." 

"May  we  never  forget  it!"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Pepper,  wiping  her  eyes. 

"  But  he's  very  unwise,"  said  Mr.  King,  a 
trifle  testily,  "  not  to  take  up  with  my  offer  to 
establish  him  in  the  town.  A  man  like  him 
could  easily  hold  a  good  practice,  because  the 
fellow's  got  ability." 

"Oh!  Dr.  Fisher  wouldn't  leave  Badgertown," 
cried  all  the  Peppers  in  a  bunch.  "  And  what 
would  the  poor  people  here  do  without  him  ?  " 
finished  Polly. 

"  Well,  well,  never  mind,  he  won't  come  to 
town,  and  that's  enough,"  said  the  old  gentleman 
quickly.  "  Aside  from  that,  he's  a  sensible  chap, 
arid  one  quite  to  my  liking." 

"  O,  Polly  !  "  cried  Phronsie  suddenly,  and 
lifting  her  head,  she  fastened  her  brown  eyes  on 
the  face  above  her,  "  wasn't  Mamsie's  birthday 
cake  good  ? " 


152  OLD   TIMES    AGAIN. 

"  The  flowers  were  pretty,  but  the  cake  was 
heavy,  don't  you  remember  ?  "  said  Polly,  who 
hadn't  recovered  from  that  grief  even  yet. 

"  I  thought  it  was  just  beautiful,"  cried  Mrs. 
Pepper  hastily.  "  No  one  could  have  baked  it 
better  in  the  old  stove  you  had.  I'm  sure  we 
ate  it  all  up,  every  crumb." 

"  We  kept  it  in  the  old  cupboard,"  cried  Joel, 
rushing  over  to  the  corner  to  swing  the  door 
open.  "And  we  never  once  peeked,  Mamsie, 
so  afraid  you'd  suspect." 

"  You  kept  staring  at  the  cupboard  door  all 
the  evening,  Joe,  you  know  you  did,"  cried  Ben  ; 
"you  were  just  within  a  hair's  breadth  of  letting 
the  whole  thing  out  ever  so  many  times.  Polly 
and  I  had  to  drag  you  away.  We  were  glad 
enough  when  you  went  to  bed,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  You  were  always  sending  me  off  to  bed  in 
those  days,"  said  Joel,  taking  his  head  out  of 
the  cupboard  to  throw  vindictive  glances  over 
to  the  group  around  the  stove. 

"  I  wish  we  could  do  so  now,"  said  Ben. 


"WE    KEPT   IT    IN    THE   OLD    CUPBOARD,"    CRIED    JOEL. 


OLD   TIMES    AGAIN.  155 

"  And  those  two,"  Joel  went  on,  pointing  to 
Polly  and  Ben,  "  used  to  go  whispering  around 
a  lot  of  old  secrets,  that  they  wouldn't  tell  us. 
Oh  !  it  was  perfectly  awful,  wasn't  it,  Dave  ? " 
bestowing  a  small  pinch  on  that  individual's 
shoulder. 

"  I  liked  the  secrets  best  not  to  know  them  till 
Polly  and  Ben  got  ready  to  tell  us,"  said  David 
slowly  ;  "  then  they  were  just  magnificent." 

Phronsie  had  laid  her  head  back  in  the  wait- 
ing lap,  and  was  crooning  softly  to  herself. 

"  I  want  to  go  and  see  dear  good  Mr.  Beebe," 
she  said  presently,  "  and  nice  Mrs.  Beebe,  can  I, 
Mamsie  ?  "  looking  over  at  her. 

"  To  be  sure,"  cried  Mrs.  Pepper,  "  you  shall 
indeed,  child." 

"  Beebe  —  Beebe,  and  who  is  he,  pray  ?  "  de- 
manded Mr.  King. 

"  Oh  !  he  keeps  the  shoe-shop  over  in  the  Cen- 
ter," explained  three  or  four  voices,  "  and  Phron- 
sie's  new  shoes  were  bought  there,  you  know." 

"  And    he  gave   me    pink  and   white   candy- 


156  OLD    TIMES   AGAIN. 

sticks."  said  Phronsie,  "  and  he  was  very  nice  , 
and  I  like  him  very  much." 

•'  And  Mrs.  Beebe  gave  us  doughnuts  all 
around,"  communicated  Joel ;  "  I  don't  know 
but  what  I  liked  those  best.  There  was  more 
to  them." 

"  So  you  always  bought  your  new  shoes  of  the 
Beebes  ? "  asked  the  old  gentleman,  a  question 
that  brought  all  the  five  Peppers  around  his  chair 
at  once. 

"We  didn't  ever  have  new  shoes  that  I  can 
remember,"  said  Joel  quickly,  "except  Phron- 
sie's,  and  once  Ben  had  a  new  pair.  He  had 
to,  because  he  was  the  oldest,  you  know." 

"  Oh !  "  said  Mr.  King. 

"You  see,"  said  Phronsie,  shaking  her  head 
gravely,  while  she  laid  one  hand  on  his  knee, 
"we  were  very  poor,  Grandpapa  dear.  Don't 
you  understand  ?  " 

"Yes,  yes,  child,"  said  old  Mr.  King;  "there, 
get  up  here,"  and  he  took  her  within  his  arms. 

"  No,  no,  you're  not  going  to  talk  yet,"  seeing 


OLD    TIMES    AGAIN.  157 

Percy  and  Van  beginning  violent  efforts  to  join 
in  the  conversation.  "Let  the  Peppers  have  a 
chance  to  talk  over  old  times  first.  See  how 
good  Jasper  is  to  wait." 

"  I  would  much  prefer  to  hear  the  Peppers 
talk  forever,"  said  Jasper,  smiling  down  on  the 
two  Whitneys,  "  than  to  have  the  gates  opened 
for  a  general  flood.  Go  on,  do,  Polly  and  Ben, 
and  the  rest  of  you." 

"Oh!  there  is  so  much,"  said  Polly  despair- 
ingly, clasping  her  hands,  "we  shouldn't  get 
through  if  we  talked  ten  years,  should  we, 
Ben  ?  Mamsie,"  and  she  rushed  over  to  her, 
"  can  we  have  a  baking  time  to-morrow,  just 
as  we  used  to  in  the  old  days?  Oh!  do  say 
yes." 

"  Yes,  do  say  yes,"  echoed  Jasper,  also  rush- 
ing to  the  side  of  the  little  rocking-chair.  "  You 
will,  won't  you,  Mrs.  Pepper  ?  " 

"  Hoh  !  hoh ! "  cried  the  two  Whitneys  de- 
risively, "  I  thought  you  could  '  hear  the  Peppers 
talk  forever.'  That's  great,  Jasper." 


158  OLD   TIMES   AGAIN. 

"  Well,  when  it  comes  to  hearing  a  proposal 
for  a  baking  frolic,  my  principles  are  thrown  to 
the  wind,"  said  Jasper  recklessly.  "  Why,  boys, 
that's  the  first  thing  I  remember  about  the  little 
brown  house.  Do  say  yes,  Mrs.  Pepper  !  " 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

SOME    BADGERTOWN    CALLS. 

WELL,  I  declare  !  "   exclaimed  Grandma 
Bascom,  opening  the  door  and  look- 
ing in,  "  I  never !  " 

"  Come  in,"  cried  Mr.  King  sociably.  His 
night  over  at  the  parsonage  had  been  a  most 
fortunate  experiment.  "  I  haven't  slept  so  finely 
in  ten  years,"  he  confided  to  Mrs.  Whitney  as 
they  met  at  breakfast  at  the  minister's  table. 
So  now,  his  face  wreathed  with  smiles,  he  re- 
peated his  invitation.  "  Come  in,  do,  Mrs. 
Bascom  ;  we're  glad  to  see  you." 

"  I  never  !  "  said  "  Grandma  Bascom  "  once 
more,  for  want  of  something  better  to  say,  and 
coming  close  to  the  centre  of  operations. 
'59 


160  SOME    BADGERTOWN    CALLS. 

Jasper,  attired  in  one  of  Mrs.  Pepper's  long 
aprons,  which  was  fastened  in  the  style  of  the 
old  days,  by  the  strings  around  his  neck,  was 
busily  engaged  in  rolling  out  under  Polly's  di- 
rection, a  thin  paste,  expected  presently  under 
the  genial  warmth  of  the  waiting  stove,  to  evolve 
into  most  toothsome  cakes.  Ben  was  similarl} 
attired,  and  similarly  employed  ;  while  Joel  and 
David  were  in  a  sticky  state,  preparing  their 
dough  after  their  own  receipt,  over  at  the  corner 
table,  their  movements  closely  followed  by  the 
three  Whitneys. 

Phronsie,before  a  board  laid  across  two  chairs, 
was  enlightening  old  Mr.  King  who  sat  by  hei, 
into  the  mysteries  of  baking  day. 

"  Do  bake  me  a  gingerbread  boy,"  he  beggeci. 
"  I  never  had  anything  half  so  good  as  the  one 
you  sent  over  to  Hingham." 

"  You  were  my  poor  sick  man  then,"  observed 
Phronsie,  with  slow,  even  pats  on  her  bit  of 
dough.  "  Please,  the  rolling-pin  now,  Grand- 
papa dear." 


SOME  BADGERTOWN  CALLS.        l6l 

"To  be  sure,"  cried  the  old  gentleman;  "  here, 
Jappy,  my  boy,  be  so  good  as  to  hand  us  over 
that  article." 

"  And  you  see,"  continued  Phronsie,  receiving 
the  rolling-pin,  and  making  the  deftest  of  passes 
with  it  over  the  soft  mass,  "  I  couldn't  send 
you  anything  better,  though  I  wanted  to,  Grand- 
papa dear." 

"Better?"  cried  Mr.  King.  "I  should  think 
not;  you  couldn't  have  made  me  anything  that 
pleased  me  more,  had  you  tried  a  thousand 
times." 

Phronsie  never  tired  of  hearing  this,  and  now 
humming  a  soft  note  of  thanks,  proceeded  with 
her  task,  declaring  that  she  would  make  the 
best  gingerbread  boy  that  could  possibly  be 
achieved. 

"  Grandma  Bascom  "  was  still  reiterating  "  I 
never,"  and  going  slowly  from  one  group  to 
another  to  inspect  operations.  When  she  came 
to  Phronsie,  she  stopped  short,  raising  her  hands 
in  surprise.  "Seems  as  ef  'twas  only  yesterday 


1 62  SOME    BADGERTOWN    CALLS. 

when  the  Peppers  went  away,  though  land  knows 
I've  missed  'em  all  most  dretfully,  an'  there  sets 
that  blessed  child  baking,  as  big  as  any  of  'em, 
I  never! " 

"  Have  you  any  more  raisins  to  give  us,  Grand- 
ma?" shouted  Joel  across  the  kitchen.  "  They 
were  terribly  hard,"  he  added  in  his  natural 
voice  ;  "  almost  broke  our  teeth." 

"  Hey  ?  "  called  "  Grandma  "  back  again. 

"  Raisins,  Grandma,  or  peppermints,"  cried 
Joel. 

"  O,  Joe,  for  shame  !  "  called    Ben. 

"  I'm  going  to  have  the  fun  of  going  after 
them,"  declared  Joel,  throwing  down  his  dough- 
pat,  and  wiping  his  sticky  fingers  on  his  apron ; 
"  just  like  old  times  —  so  there  !  " 

"  I'll  go  over  an'  get  'em,"  said  Grandma ; 
"you  corne  along  with  me,"  looking  admiringly 
up  at  the  tall  boy ;  so  the  two,  Joel  laughing  and 
hopping  by  her  side  as  if  he  were  five  years 
younger,  disappeared,  well-pleased  with  each 
other. 


SOME    BADGERTOWN    CALLS.  163 

"  Now  I  shall  take  his  dough,"  declared  Dick, 
rushing  around  the  end  of  the  table,  to  Joel's 
deserted  place. 

"  No  such  thing,"  declared  Van,  flying  out  of 
his  chair.  "  Leave  your  hands  off,  youngster ! 
that's  to  be  mine." 

Polly  looked  up  from  the  little  cookies  she 
was  cutting  with  the  top  of  a  tin  baking  powder 
box,  and  their  eyes  met. 

"  I  didn't  promise  not  to  have  it  out  with 
Dicky,"  said  Van  stoutly.  "  He's  a  perfect 
plague,  and  always  under  foot.  I  never  thought 
of  such  a  thing  as  not  making  him  stand  around, 
Polly." 

But  the  brown  eyes  did  not  return  to  their 
task,  as  Polly  mechanically  stamped  another 
cooky. 

"  I  only  promised  not  to  have  a  bout  with 
Percy,"  Van  proceeded  uncomfortably.  And  in 
the  same  breath,  "  Go  ahead,  if  you  want  it, 
Dicky,  I  don't  care." 

"  I    do  want  it,"  declared    Dick,  clambering 


1 64  SOME    BADGERTOWN    CALLS. 

into  Van's  chair,  while  Van  returned  to  his  own, 
"and  I'm  going  to  have  it  too.  I  guess  you  think 
vou'd  better  give  up  now,  sir ;  I'm  getting  so 
big." 

"  Softly  there,  Dicky,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney, 
over  in  the  window-seat  with  her  fancy  work ; 
"if  Van  gives  up,  you  should  thank  him  ;  I  think 
it  is  very  nice  in  him."  And  the  bigger  boy's 
heart  warmed  with  the  radiant  smile  she  sent 
him. 

Dick  gave  several  vicious  thrusts  to  his  dough, 
and  looked  up  at  last  to  say  very  much  against 
his  will,  "  Thank  you  ;  "  and  adding  brightly, 
"but  you  know  I'm  getting  big,  sir,  and  you'd 
better  give  up." 

"All  right,"  said  Van,  with  that  smile  in  his 
heart  feeling  equal  to  anything. 

"Now,"  cried  Jasper,  with  a  flourish  of  his 
baking  apron,  "  mine  are  ready.  Here  goes  !  " 
and  he  opened  the  oven  door  and  pushed  in  a 
pan  of  biscuit. 

"Jappy's  always  nhen<i  in  everything,"  grum- 


SOME    BADGERTOWN    CALLS.  165 

bled  Percy,  laboring  away  at  his  dough.  "  How 
in  the  world  do  you  make  the  thing  roll  out 
straight?  Mine  humps  up  in  the  middle." 

"  Put  some  more  flour  on  the  board,"  said 
Polly,  running  over  to  him.  "There,  now  see, 
Percy,  if  that  doesn't  roll  smooth." 

"  It  does  with  you,"  said  Percy,  taking  the 
rolling-pin  again,  to  send  it  violently  over  the 
long-suffering  dough,  "  and  —  I  declare,  it's  going 
to  do  with  me,"  he  cried,  in  delight  at  the  large 
flat  cake  staring  up  at  him  from  the  board. 
"  Now,  says  I,  I'll  beat  you,  Jappy  ! "  And  pres- 
ently the  whole  kitchen  resounded  with  a  merry 
din,  as  the  several  cakes  and  biscuits  were  de- 
clared almost  ready  for  their  respective  pans. 

"  But  I  can  tell  you,  this  gingerbread  boy  is 
going  in  next,"  declared  Mr.  King  from  Phron- 
sie's  baking-board.  "  It's  almost  done,  isn't  it, 
child?" 

"  Not  quite,  Grandpapa,"  said  Phronsie ;  "  this 
eye  won't  stay  in  just  like  the  other.  It  doesn't 
look  the  same  way,  don't  you  see  ?"  pointing  to 


l66  SOME    BADGERTOWN    CALLS. 

the  currant  that  certainly  showed  no  inclination 
to  do  its  duty,  as  any  well-bred  eye  should. 
"Wait  just  a  moment,  please  ;  I'll  pull  it  out  and 
stick  it  in  again." 

"  Take  another,"  advised  the  old  gentleman, 
fumbling  over  the  little  heap  of  currants  on  the 
saucer.  "There,  here's  a  good  round  one,  and 
very  expressive  too,  Phronsie." 

"  That's  lovely,"  hummed  Phronsie,  accepting 
the  new  eye  with  very  sticky  fingers.  "  Now,  he's 
all  ready,"  as  she  set  it  in  its  place,  and  took  the 
boy  up  tenderly.  "  Give  me  a  pan,  do,  Polly." 

"  Did  you  cut  that  out  ?  "  cried  Dick,  turning 
around  in  his  chair,  and  regarding  her  enviously, 
"  all  alone  by  yourself  ?  Didn't  Grandpapa  help 
you  just  one  teenty  bit  to  make  the  legs  and  the 
hands  ? " 

"  No ;  she  made  it  all  herself,"  said  the  old 
gentleman,  with  justifiable  pride.  "  There, 
Phronsie,  here's  your  pan,"  as  Polly  set  it  down 
before  her  with  a  "  You  precious  dear,  that's 
perfectly  elegant ! " 


SOME    BADGERTOWN   CALLS.  167 

Phronsie  placed  the  boy  within  the  pan,  and 
gave  it  many  loving  pats.  "  Grandpapa  sat  here, 
and  looked  at  it,  and  smiled,"  she  said,  turning 
her  eyes  gravely  on  Dick,  "  and  that  helped  ever 
so  much.  I  couldn't  ever  have  made  it  so  nice 
alone.  Good-by;  now  bake  like  a  good  boy. 
Let  me  put  it  in  the  oven  all  by  myself,  do, 
Polly,"  she  begged. 

So  Phronsie,  the  old  gentleman  escorting  her 
in  mortal  dread  that  she  would  be  burned,  safely 
tucked  her  long  pan  into  the  warmest  corner, 
shut  the  door,  and  gravely  consulted  the  clock. 
"  If  I  look  at  it  in  twenty-one  minutes,  I  think 
it  will  be  done,"  she  said,  "  quite  brown." 

In  twenty-one  minutes  the  whole  kitchen  was 
so  far  removed  from  being  the  scene  of  a  baking 
exploit,  as  was  possible.  Everything  was  cleared 
away,  and  set  up  primly  in  its  place,  leaving 
only  a  row  of  fine  little  biscuits  and  cookies, 
with  Phronsie's  gingerbread  boy  in  the  midst  to 
tell  the  tale  of  what  had  been  going  on.  Outside 
'here  was  a  great  commotion.  Deacon  Brown's 


1 68  SOME    BADGERTOWN    CALLS. 

old  wagon  stood  at  the  gate,  for  the  Peppers 
and  their  friends  ;  and  oh  !  joy,  not  the  old  horse 
between  the  shafts,  but  a  newer  and  much  live- 
lier beast.  And  on  the  straw  laid  in  the  bottom 
of  the  wagon,  the  seats  being  removed,  disported 
all  the  merry  group,  Mr.  King  alone  having  the 
dignity  of  a  chair. 

Deacon  Brown,  delighted  with  his  scheme  of 
bringing  the  wagon  over  as  a  surprise  for  the 
Peppers  to  take  a  drive  in,  was  on  the  side  of 
the  narrow  foot-path,  chuckling  and  rubbing  his 
hands  together.  "You  won't  have  to  drive  so 
easy  as  you  used  to,  Ben,"  he  called  out,  "  this 
fellow's  chirk  ;  give  him  his  head.  Sho !  what 
you  goin'  that  way,  for?"  as  Ben  turned  off 
down  the  lane. 

"  To  Grandma  Bascom's,"  shouted  two  or  three 
voices. 
•    "  Joel's  over  there,"    sang  out  Polly. 

"We  couldn't  go  without  him,  you  know," 
chirped  Phronsie,  poking  a  distressed  little  face 
up  from  the  straw  heap. 


SOME    BADGERTOWN    CALLS. 


i69 


"  'Twould  serve  him  just  right  if  we  did,"  said 
Van.  "  He's  a  great  chap  to  stay  over  there  like 
this." 

"  No  —  no,"  cried  Dick  in  terror,  "  don't  go 


THE    RIDE    IN    DEACON    BROWN'S    WAGON. 

without  Joel ;  I'd  rather  have  him  than  any  of 
you,"  he  added,  not  over  politely. 

Phronsie  began  to  cry  piteously  at  the  mere 
thought  of  Joel's  being  left  behind. 


1 70  SOME    BADGERTOWN    CALLS. 

"  He  wanted  to  see  Mr.  Beebe,"  she  managed 
to  say,  "  and  dear  Mrs.  Beebe.  Oh !  don't  go 
without  him."  So  Mr.  King  made  them  hand 
her  up  to  him,  and  at  the  risk  of  their  both  roll- 
ing out,  he  held  her  in  his  lap  until  the  wagon, 
stopping  at  the  door  of  "  Grandma  Bascom's" 
cottage,  brought  Joel  bounding  out  with  a  whoop. 

"Jolly!  where'd  you  get  that,  and  where  are 
you  going  ?  "  all  in  one  breath,  as  he  swung  him- 
self up  behind. 

"  Deacon  Brown  brought  it  over  just  now," 
cried  Polly. 

"  As  a  surprise,"  furnished  Percy.  "  Isn't  he 
a  fine  old  chap  ?  Here's  for  the  very  jolliest 
go!" 

"  We're  going  to  see  dear  Mr.  Beebe,  and 
dear  Mrs.  Beebe,"  announced  Phronsie,  smiling 
through  her  tears,  and  leaning  out  of  the  old 
•gentleman's  lap  to  nod  at  him. 

"  Hurrah  !  "  screamed  Joel.  "  Good-by,  Grand- 
ma," to  the  old  lady  whose  cap-frills  were  framed 
in  the  small  window.  "  I've  had  a  fine  time  in 


SOME    BADGERTOWN    CALLS.  171 

there,"  he  condescended  to  say,  but  nothing 
further  as  to  the  details  could  they  extract  from 
him ;  and  so  at  last  they  gave  it  up,  and  lent 
their  attention  to  the  various  things  to  be  seen 
as  the  wagon  spun  along.  And  so  over  and 
through  the  town,  and  to  the  very  door  of  the 
little  shoe-shop,  and  there,  to  be  sure,  was  Mr. 
Beebe  the  same  as  ever,  to  welcome  them ;  and 
Joel  found  to  his  immense  satisfaction  that  the 
stone  pot  was  as  full  of  sugary  doughnuts  as  in 
the  old  days ;  and  Phronsie  had  her  pink  and 
white  sticks,  and  Mrs.  Beebe  "  Oh-ed "  and 
"  Ah-ed  "  over  them  all,  and  couldn't  bear  to  let 
them  go  when  at  last  it  was  time  to  say  "good- 
by."  And  at  last  they  all  climbed  into  the  old 
wagon,  and  were  off  again  on  their  round  of 
visits. 

It  was  not  till  the  gray  dusk  of  the  winter 
afternoon  settled  down  unmistakably,  so  that 
no  one  could  beg  to  stay  out  longer,  that  they 
turned  Deacon  Brown's  horse  toward  the  "  little 
brown  house." 


172  SOME    BADGERTOWN    CALLS. 

"  It's  going  to  snow  to-inorrow,  I  think," 
observed  Jasper,  squinting  up  at  the  leaden 
sky,  "  isn't  it,  father  ?  " 

"Whoop!"  exclaimed  Joel,  "then  we  wil, 
have  sport,  I  tell  you  !  " 

"  It  certainly  looks  like  it,"  said  old  Mr.  King; 
wrapping  his  fur-lined  coat  closer.  "  Phronsie- 
are  you  sure  you  are  warm  enough  ?  " 

"Yes,  Grandpapa  dear,"  she  answered,  curl 
ing  up  deeper  in  the  straw  at  his  feet. 

"  Do  you  remember  how  you  would  carry  the 
red-topped  shoes  home  with  you,  Phronsie  ? " 
cried  Polly,  and  then  away  they  rushed  again 
into  "Oh!  don't  you  remember  this,  and  you 
haven't  forgotten  that?"  Jasper  as  wildly  rem 
iniscent  now  as  the  others,  for  hadn't  he  almost 
as  good  as  lived  at  the  little  brown  house,  pray 
tell  ?  So  the  Whitneys  looked  curiously  on, 
without  a  chance  to  be  heard  in  all  the  merry 
chatter ;  and  then  they  drew  up  at  the  gate 
of  the  parsonage,  where  they  were  all  to  have 
supper. 


SOME    BADGERTOWN    CALLS. 


'73 


When  Phronsie  woke  up  in  the  big  bed  by  the 
side  of  her  mother,  the  next  morning,  Polly  was 
standing  over  her,  and  looking  down  into  her 
face. 

"O,  Phronsie  !  "  she  exclaimed  in  great  glee, 
"  the  ground  is  all  covered  with  snow !  " 


POLLY    WAS    STANDING    OVER    HER. 

"O-oh  !  "  screamed  Phronsie,  her  brown  eyes 
flying  wide  open,  "  do  give  me  my  shoes  and 
stockings,  Polly,  do !  I'll  be  dressed  in  just  one 
—  minute  "  and  thereupon  ensued  a  merry  scram- 


174        SOME  BADGERTOWN  CALLS. 

ble  as  she  tumbled  out  of  the  big  bed,  and  com- 
menced operations,  Polly  running  out  to  help 
Mamsie  get  the  breakfast. 

"  Mush  seems  good  now  we  don't  have  to  eat 
it,"  cried  Joel,  as  they  all  at  last  sat  around  the 
board. 

"'Twas  good  then,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  her 
black  eyes  roving  over  the  faces  before  her. 

"  How  funny,"  cried  Percy  Whitney,  who  had 
run  over  from  the  parsonage  to  breakfast,  "  this 
yellow  stuff  is."  And  he  took  up  a  spoonful  of 
it  gingerly. 

"  You  don't  like  it,  Percy  ;  don't  try  to  eat  it. 
I'll  make  you  a  slice  of  toast,"  cried  Polly,  spring- 
ing out  of  her  chair,  "in  just  one  moment." 

"  No,  you  mustn't,"  cried  Dick,  bounding  in  in 
time  to  catch  the  last  words.  "  Mamma  said  no 
one  was  to  have  anything  different  if  we  came 
to  breakfast,  from  what  the  Peppers  are  going  to 
eat.  I  like  the  yellow  stuff ;  give  me  some,  do," 
and  he  slid  into  a  chair  and  passed  his  plate  to 
Mrs.  Pepper. 


SOME    BADGERTOWN    CALLS.  175 

"  So  you  shall,  Dicky,"  she  said  hastily.  "  And 
you  will  never  taste  sweeter  food  than  this,"  giv- 
ing him  a  generous  spoonful. 

"  Grandpapa  is  eating  ham  and  fried  eggs  over 
at  the  minister's  house,"  contributed  Dick,  after 
satisfying  his  hunger  a  bit. 

"  Ham  and  fried  eggs  ! "  exclaimed  Mother 
Pepper,  aghast.  "  Why,  he  never  touches  them. 
You  must  be  mistaken,  my  boy." 

"No,  I'm  not,"  said  Dick  obstinately.  "The 
minister's  wife  said  it  was,  and  "he  asked  me  if 
I  wouldn't  have  some,  and  I  said  I  was  going 
over  to  the  Peppers  to  breakfast;  I'd  rather  have 
some  of  theirs.  And  Grandpapa  said  it  was  good 
—  the  ham  and  fried  eggs  was— -and  he  took  it 
twice,  he  did,  Mrs  Pepper." 

"Took  it  twice?"  she  repeated  faintly,  with 
troubled  visions  of  the  future.  **  Well,  well,  the 
mischief  is  done  now,  so  there  is  no  use  in  talk- 
\ng  ?bout  it,  but  I'm  worried,  all  the  same." 

"  Hurry  up,  Percy,"  called  Joel  across  the 
table,  "and  don't  dawdle  so.  We're  goin^,  to 


tj6        SOME  BADGERTOWN  CALLS. 

make  a  double  ripper,  four  yards  long,  to  go 
down  that  hill  there."  He  laid  down  his  spoon 
to  point  out  the  window  at  a  distant  snow-covered 
slope. 

Percy  shivered,  but  recalling  himself  in  time, 
said  "  Splendid,"  and  addressed  himself  with 
difficulty  to  his  mush. 

"Well,  you  never'll  be  through  at  that  speed," 
declared  Joel.  "See,  I've  eaten  three  saucers- 
ful,"  and  he  handed  his  plate  up.  "And  now 
for  the  fourth,  Mamsie." 

"Oh  !  baked  potatoes,"  cried  Ben,  rolling  one 
around  in  his  hand  before  he  took  off  its  crack- 
ling skin.  "  Weren't  they  good,  though,  with  a 
little  salt.  I  tell  you,  they  helped  us  to  chop 
wood  in  the  old  times !  " 

"  I  really  think  I  shall  have  to  try  one,"  said 
Percy,  who  deeply  to  his  regret  was  obliged  to 
confess  that  Indian  meal  mush  had  few  charms 
for  Jiis  palate. 

"  There's  real  milk  in  my  mug  now,"  cried 
Phronsie,  with  long  deep  draughts.  "  Polly,  did 


SOME  BADGERTOWN  CALLS.         177 

I  ever  have  anything  but  make-believe  in  the 
little  brown  house,  ever,  Polly  ?  " 

Polly  was  saved  from  answering  by  a  stamping 
of  snowy  boots  on  the  flat  doorstone. 

"  Hurrah  there  !  "  cried  Van,  rushing  in,  fol- 
lowed by  Jasper.  "  Hoh,  you  slow  people  in 
the  little  brown  house,  come  on  for  the  double 
ripper ! " 


CHAPTER    IX. 

A    SUDDEN    BLOW. 

MAMSIE,"  cried  Polly  suddenly,  and  rest- 
ing her  hands  on  her  knees,  as  she  sat 
on  the  floor  before  the  stove,  "  do  you  suppose 
there  is  any  one  poor  enough  in  Badgertown  to 
need  the  little  brown  house  when  we  lock  it  up 
to-morrow  ? " 

"Not  a  soul,"  replied  Mrs.  Pepper  quickly; 
"no  more  than  there  was  when  we  first  locked 
it  up  five  years  ago,  Polly.  I've  been  all  over 
that  with  the  parson  last  evening  ;  and  he  says 
there  isn't  a  new  family  in  the  place,  and  all  the 
old  ones  have  their  homes,  the  same  as  ever. 
So  we  can  turn  the  key  and  leave  it  with  a  clear 
conscience." 

178 


A    SUDDEN    BLOW.  179 

Polly  drew  a  long  breath  of  delight,  and  gazed 
long  at  the  face  of  the  stove  that  seemed  to 
crackle  out  an  answering  note  of  joy  as  the 
wood  snapped  merrily  ;  then  she  slowly  looked 
around  the  kitchen. 

"  It's  so  perfectly  lovely,  Mamsie,"  she  broke 
out  at  length,  "to  see  the  dear  old  things,  and 
to  know  that  they  are  waiting  here  for  us  to 
come  back  whenever  we  want  to.  And  to  think 
it  isn't  wicked  not  to  have  them  used,  because 
everybody  has  all  they  need ;  oh  !  it's  so  delicious 
to  think  they  can  be  left  to  themselves." 

She  folded  her  hands  now  across  her  knees, 
and  drew  another  long  breath  of  content. 

Phronsie  stole  out  of  the  bedroom,  and  came 
slowly  up  to  her  mother's  side,  pausing  a  bit  on 
the  way  to  look  into  Polly's  absorbed  face. 

"  I  don't  think,  Mamsie,"  she  said  quietly, 
"  that  people  ought  to  be  so  very  good  who've 
never  had  a  little  brown  house ;  never  in  all 
their  lives." 

"  O,  yes,  they  had,  child,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper 


l8o  A   SUDDEN    BLOW. 

briskly ;  "  places  don't  make  any  difference.  It's 
people's  duty  to  be  good  wherever  they  are." 

But  Phronsie's  face  expressed  great  incredulity. 

"  I'm  always  going  to  live  here  when  I  am 
a  big,  grown-up  woman,"  she  declared,  slowly 
gazing  around  the  kitchen,  "  and  I  shall  never, 
never  go  out  of  Badgertown." 

"  O,  Phronsie  !  "  exclaimed  Polly,  turning 
around  in  dismay,  "  why,  you  couldn't  do  that. 
Just  think,  child,  whatever  in  the  world  would 
Grandpapa  do,  or  any  of  us,  pray  tell  ? " 

"  Grandpapa  would  come  here,"  declared 
Phronsie  decidedly ;  and  shaking  her  yellow 
head  to  enforce  her  statement.  "  Of  course 
Grandpapa  would  come  here,  Polly.  We  couldn't 
live  without  him." 

"  That's  it,"  said  Polly,  with  a  corresponding 
shake  of  her  brown  head,  "of  course  we  couldn't 
live  without  Grandpapa  ;  and  just  as  '  of  course  ' 
he  couldn't  leave  his  own  dear  home.  He  never 
would  be  happy,  Phronsie,  to  do  that." 

Phronsie  took  a  step  or  two  into  the  sunshine 


A    SUDDEN    BLOW.  l8l 

lying  on  the  middle  of  the  old  kitchen  floor. 
"Then  I'd  rather  not  come,  Polly,"  she  said. 
But  she  sighed  and  Polly  was  just  about  say- 
ing, "We'll  run  down  now  and  then  perhaps, 
Phronsie,  as  we  have  done  now,"  when  the 
door  was  thrown  open  suddenly,  and  Joel  burst 
in,  his  face  as  white  as  a  sheet,  and  working 
fearfully. 

"  O,  Polly  !  you  must  tell  Mrs.  Whitney  —  I 
can't." 

Polly  sprang  to  her  feet ;  Mrs.  Pepper,  who 
had  just  stepped  into  the  pantry,  was  saying, 
"  I  think,  Polly,  I'll  make  some  apple  dumplings, 
the  boys  like  them  so  much." 

"  What  is  it,  Joe  ?  "  cried  Polly  hoarsely,  and 
standing  quite  still.  Phronsie,  with  wide  eyes, 
went  up  and  took  the  boy's  cold  hand,  and 
gazed  into  his  face  as  he  leaned  against  the  door. 

"Dick!"   groaned    Joel;    "oh!    oh!     I  can't 

» 

bear  it,"  and  covering  his  face  with  one  hand, 
he  would  have  pulled  the  other  from  Phronsie's 
warm  little  palm,  but  she  held  it  fast. 


182  A    SUDDEN    BLOW. 

"Tell  me  at  once,  Joe,"  commanded  Polly. 
"  Hush  !  —  mother  "  —  but  Mrs.  Pepper  was 
already  out  of  the  pantry. 

"Joel,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  "whatever  it  is, 
tell  us  immediately." 

The  look  in  her  black  eyes  forced  him  to  gasp 
in  one  breath,  "  Dick  fell  off  the  double  ripper, 
and  both  of  his  legs  are  broken  —  may  be  not," 
he  added  in  a  loud  scream. 

Phronsie  still  held  the  boy's  hand.  He  was 
conscious  of  it,  and  that  she  uttered  no  word; 
and  then  he  knew  no  more. 

"  Leave  him  to  me,  Polly,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper, 
through  drawn  lips,  "  and  then  do  you  run  as 
you  have  never  run  before,  to  the  parsonage. 
Oh  !  if  they  should  bring  him  there  before  the 
mother  hears." 

Phronsie  dropped  the  hand  she  held,  and 
running  on  unsteady  little  feet  into  the  bed- 
room, came  back  with  Polly's  hood  and  coat. 

"Let  me  go,"  cried  Polly  wildly,  rushing 
away  from  the  detaining  hand  to  the  door, 


A   SUDDEN    BLOW.  183 

"I  don't  want  those  things  on.  Let  me  go, 
Phronsie! " 

"You'll  be  cold,"  said  Phronsie.  With  all 
her  care,  her  little  white  lips  were  quivering  as 
she  held  out  the  things.  "Please,  Polly,"  she 
said  piteously. 

"The  child  is  right ;  put  them  on,"  commanded 
Mrs.  Pepper,  for  one  instant  taking  her  thought 
from  her  boy;  and  Polly  obeyed,  and  was  gone. 

In  the  parsonage  "best  room"  sat  Mrs.  Whit- 
ney. Her  rocking-chair  was  none  of  the  easiest, 
being  a  hair-cloth  affair,  its  cushion  very  much 
elevated  in  the  world  just  where  it  should  have 
been  depressed,  so  that  one  was  in  constant 
danger  of  slipping  off  its  surface;  moreover,  the 
chair  arms  and  back  were  covered  with  inde- 
scribable arrangements  made  and  presented  by 
loving  parishioners  and  demanding  unceasing 
attention  from  the  occupant.  But  the  chair 
was  drawn  up  in  the  sunshine  pouring  into 
the  window,  and  Mrs.  Whitney's  thoughts  were 
sunny  too;  for  she  smiled  now  and  then  as  she 


i84 


A    SUDDEN    BLOW. 


drew  her  needle  busily  in  and  out  through  the 
bright  wools. 

"  How  restful  it  all  is  here,  and  so  quaint* 


"HOW   RESTFUL    IT  ALL   IS   HERE." 

and  simple."     She  glanced  up  now  to  the  high- 
backed  mantel  with  its  wealth  of  daguerreotypes, 


A    SUDDEN    BLOW.  185 

and  surprising  collection  of  dried  leaves  in  tall 
china  vases;  and  over  the  walls,  adorned  with 
pine-cone  framed  pictures,  to  the  center  table 
loaded  with  "Annuals,"  and  one  or  two  volumes 
of  English  poetry,  and  then  her  gaze  took  in 
the  little  paths  the  winter  sunshine  were  making 
for  themselves  along  the  red  and  green  ingrain 
carpet.  "  I  am  so  glad  father  thought  to  bring 
us  all.  Dear  father,  it  is  making  a  new  man  of 
him,  this  winter  frolic.  Why  "  — 

She  was  looking  out  of  the  window  now,  and 
her  hands  fell  to  her  lap  as  Polly  Pepper  came 
running  breathlessly  down  the  village  street, 
her  hood  untied,  and  the  coat  grasped  with  one 
hand  and  held  together  across  her  breast.  But 
it  was  the  face  that  terrified  Mrs.  Whitney, 
and  hurrying  out  of  her  chair,  she  ran  out  to 
the  veranda  as  the  girl  rushed  through  the 
gateway. 

"  Polly,  child,"  cried  Mrs.  Whitney,  seizing 
her  with  loving  arms  and  drawing  her  on  the 
steps  —  "  oh !  what  is  it,  dear  ?  " 


l86  A    SUDDEN    BLOW. 

Polly's  lips  moved,  but  no  words  came. 

"Oh!"  at  last,  "don't  hate  us  for  —  bringing 
you  to  the  —  little  —  bvown  house.  Why  did 
we  come  !  "  And  convulsively  she  threw  her 
young  arms  around  the  kind  neck.  "O,  Aunty! 
Dicky  is  hurt  —  but  we  don't  know  how  much  — 
his  legs,  Joel  says,  but  it  may  not  be  as  bad  as 
we  think  ;  dear  Aunty,  it  may  not." 

Mrs.  Whitney  trembled  so  that  she  could 
scarcely  stand.  Around  them  streamed  the  same 
winter  sunshine  that  had  been  so  bright  a  moment 
since.  How  long  ago  it  seemed.  And  out  of 
gathering  clouds  in  her  heart  she  was  saying, 
"  Polly  dear,  God  is  good.  We  will  trust  him." 
She  did  not  know  her  own  voice,  nor  realize 
when  Polly  led  her  mercifully  within,  as  a 
farmer's  wagon  came  slowly  down  the  street, 
to  stop  at  the  parsonage  gate;  nor  even  when 
Dick  was  brought  in,  white  and  still,  could  she 
think  of  him  as  her  boy.  It  was  some  other 
little  figure,  and  she  must  go  and  help  them 
care  for  him.  Her  boy  would  come  bounding 


A   SUDDEN    BLOW.  187 

in  presently,  happy  and  ruddy,  with  a  kiss  for 
mamma,  and  a  world  of  happy  nonsense,  just  as 
usual.  It  was  only  when  Mrs.  Henderson  came 
in,  and  took  her  hand  to  lead  her  into  the  next 
room,  that  it  all  came  to  her. 

"O,  Dick  ! "  and  she  sprang  to  the  side  of  the 
sofa  where  he  lay.  "  My  child  —  my  child  !  " 

And  then  came  Dr.  Fisher,  and  the  truth  was 
known.  One  of  Dick's  legs  was  broken  below 
the  knee ;  the  other  badly  bruised.  Only  Jasper 
and  the  mother  remained  in  the  room  while  the 
little  doctor  set  the  limb;  and  after  what  seemed 
an  age  to  the  watchers,  the  boy  came  out. 

"He  bore  it  like  a  Trojan,"  declared  Jasper, 
wiping  his  forehead.  "  I  tell  you,  Dick's  our 
hero,  after  this." 

"  Now  I  should  like  to  know  how  all  this 
happened,"  demanded  Mr.  King.  The  old  gen- 
tleman had  remained  at  the  parsonage  to  get  a 
good  morning  nap  while  the  snow  frolic  was  in 
progress.  And  he  had  been  awakened  by  the 
unusual  bustle  below  stairs  in  time  to  hear  the 


l88  A   SUDDEN    BLOW. 

welcome  news  that  Dicky  was  all  right  since 
Dr.  Fisher  was  taking  care  of  him.  He  now 
presented  himself  in  his  dressing-gown,  with  his 
sleeping  cap  awry,  over  a  face  in  which  anger, 
distress  and  impatience  strove  for  the  mastery. 
"Speak  up,  my  boy,"  to  Jasper,  "and  tell  us 
what  you  know  about  it." 

"  Well,  the  first  thing  I  knew  of  any  danger 
ahead,"  said  Jasper,  "  was  hearing  Dick  sing 
out  '  Hold  up  ! '  I  supposed  the  double  ripper 
all  right ;  didn't  you,  Ben  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  Ben  sturdily,  "and  it  was  all 
right ;  just  exactly  as 'we  used  to  make  them,  we 
boys ;  there  wasn't  a  weak  spot  anywhere  in 
her,  sir." 

"Who  was  steering?"  demanded  old  Mr.  King 
almost  fiercely. 

"  I  was,"  said  Van,  beginning  boldly  enough, 
to  let  his  voice  die  out  in  a  tremulous  effort. 

"  Humph  —  humph,"  responded  Mr.  King 
grimly.  "A  bad  business,"  shaking  his  head. 

•"Van   would" — began    Percy,  but   his   eye 


A    SUDDEN    BLOW.  191 

meeting  Polly's  he  added,  "We'd  none  of  us 
done  any  better,  I  don't  believe,  sir,  than  Van." 

Van  was  now  choking  so  badly  that  the  great- 
est kindness  seemed  to  be  not  to  look  at  him. 
Accordingly  the  little  company  turned  their  eyes 
away,  and  regarded  each  other  instead. 

"  Well,  so  Dick  rolled  off  ?  "  proceeded  the 
old  gentleman. 

"Oh!  no,  he  didn't,"  said  all  three  boys 
together ;  "  he  stuck  fast  to  the  double  ripper  ; 
we  ran  into  a  tree,  and  Dick  was  pitched  off 
head-first." 

"  But  honestly  and  truly,  father,"  said  Jasper, 
"  I  clo  not  think  that  it  was  the  fault  of  the 
steerer." 

"  Indeed  it  was  not,"  declared  Ben  stoutly ; 
"there  was  an  ugly  little  gully  that  we  hadn't 
seen  under  the  snow.  We'd  been  down  four  or 
five  times  all  right,  but  only  missed  it  by  a 
hair-breadth ;  this  time  the  '  ripper  '  struck  into 
it ;  I  suppose  Dick  felt  it  bump,  as  it  was  on  his 
side,  and  sang  out,  and  as  quick  as  lightning  we 


192  A    SUDDEN    BLOW. 

were  against  that  tree.  It  was  as  much  my 
fault  as  any  one's,  and  more,  because  I  ought 
to  have  known  that  old  hill  thoroughly." 

"  I  share  the  blame,  Ben,"  broke  in  Jasper, 
"  old  fellow,  if  you  pitch  into  yourself,  you'll 
have  to  knock  me  over  too." 

"  Come  here,  Vanny,"  said  old  Mr.  King, 
holding  out  his  hand.  "  Why,  you  needn't  be 
afraid,  my  boy,"  aghas^  at  the  tears  that  no 
power  on  earth  could  keep  back.  "  Now  all 
leave  the  room,  please." 

"  Where's  Polly  ?  "  asked  Ben,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  door. 

"  She's  run  home,"  said  David,  "  I  guess. 
She  isn't  here." 

"And  that's  where  I  must  be  too,"  cried  Ben, 
bounding  off. 

When  Van  was  next  seen  he  was  with  old 
Mr.  King,  and  wearing  all  signs  of  having  re- 
ceived his  full  share  of  comfort.  Phronsie,  just 
tying  on  her  little  hood,  to  go  down  to  the 
parsonage  to  ask  after  Dicky,  looked  oat  of  the 


A    SUDDEN    BLOW.  193 

window  to  exclaim  in  pleased  surprise,  "  Why, 
here  comes  dear  Grandpapa,"  and  then  she 
rushed  out  to  meet  him. 

"  Here's  my  little  girl,"  cried  the  old  gentle- 
man, opening  his  arms,  when  she  immediately 
ran  into  them.  "  Now  we're  all  right." 

"Is  Dicky  all  right?"  asked  Phronsie  anx- 
iously, as  she  fell  into  step  by  his  side. 

"Yes,  indeed;  as  well  as  a  youngster  can  be, 
who's  broken  his  leg." 

Phronsie  shivered.  "  But  then,  that's  noth- 
ing," Mr.  King  hastened  to  add ;  "  I  broke 
my  own  when  I  was  a  small  shaver  no  bigger 
than  Dick,  and  I  was  none  the  worse  for  it. 
Boys  always  have  some  such  trifling  mishaps, 
Phronsie." 

"  Ben  never  broke  his  leg,  nor  Joel,  nor  Davie," 
said  Phronsie.  "  Must  they  yet,  Grandpapa?  " 

"O,  dear,  no,"  declared  Mr.  King  hastily; 
"  that  isn't  necessary.  I  only  meant  they  must 
have  something.  Now  you  see,  Ben  had  the 
measles,  you  know." 


194  A    SUDDEN    BLOW. 

"  Yes,  he  did,"  said  Phronsie,  quite  relieved 
to  think  that  this  trial  could  take  the  place  of 
the  usual  leg-breaking  episode  in  a  boy's  career. 
"And  so  did  Joel,  and  Davie — all  of  them, 
Grandpapa  dear." 

"  Exactly  ;  well,  and  then  Ben  had  to  work 
hard,  and  Joel  and  Davie  too,  for  that  matter. 
So,  you  see,  it  wasn't  as  essential  that  they 
should  break  their  legs,  child." 

"  But  Jasper  and  Percy  and  Van  don't  have 
to  work  hard,  oh  !  I  don't  want  them  to  break 
their  legs,"  said  Phronsie,  in  a  worried  tone. 
"  You  don't  think  they  will,  Grandpapa  dear, 
do  you  ?  Please  say  they  won't." 

"  I  don't  think  there  is  the  least  clanger  of  it/' 
said  Mr.  King,  "  especially  as  I  shall  put  an 
end  to  this  '  double-ripper  '  business,  though 
not  because  this  upset  was  anybody's  fault, 
remember  that,  Phronsie."  Van's  head  which 
had  dropped  a  bit  at  the  last  words,  came  up 
proudly.  "  Van  here,  has  acted  nobly  "  —  he  put 
his  hand  on  the  bov's  shoulder  —  "  and  would 


A    SUDDEN    BLOW.  195 

have  saved  Dicky  if  he  could.  It  was  a  pure 
accident,  that  nobody  could  help  except  by 
keeping  off  from  the  abominable  thing.  Well, 
here  we  are  at  the  little  brown  house  ;  and 
there's  your  mother,  Phronsie,  waiting  for  us  in 
the  doorway." 

"  Halloo ! "  cried  Van,  rushing  over  the  flat 
stone,  and  past  Mrs.  Pepper,  "  where's  Joel  ?  Oh 
—  here,  you  old  chap  !  " 

"Well,  Mrs.  Pepper,"  said  the  old  gentleman, 
coining  up  to  the  step,  Phronsie  hanging  to 
his  hand,  "  this  looks  like  starting  for  town 
to-morrow,  doesn't  it  ? " 

"  Oh !  what  shall  we  do,  sir  ?  "  cried  Mrs. 
Pepper,  in  distress.  "To  think  you  have  come 
down  here  in  the  goodness  of  your  heart,  to  be 
met  with  such  an  accident  as  this.  What  shall 
we  do  ?  "  she  repeated. 

"  Goodness  of  my  heart,"  repeated  Mr.  King, 
nevertheless  well  pleased  at  the  tribute.  "  I've 
had  as  much  pleasure  out  of  it  all  as  you  or  the 
young  people.  I  want  you  to  realize  that." 


196  A    SUDDEN    BLOW. 

"  So  does  any  one  who  does  a  kind  act," 
replied  Mrs.  Pepper,  wiping  her  eyes  ;  "  well, 
sir,  now  how  shall  we  manage  about  going 
back  ? " 

"That  remains  to  be  seen,"  said  Mr.  King 
slowly,  and  he  took  a  long  look  at  the  winter 
sky,  and  the  distant  landscape  before  he  ven- 
tured more.  "  It  very  much  looks  as  if  we  all 
should  remain  for  a  few  days,  to  see  how  Dick 
is  to  get  on,  all  but  the  four  boys  ;  they  must 
pack  off  to  school  to-morrow,  and  then  probably 
Mrs.  Whitney  will  stay  over  with  the  boy  till 
he  can  be  moved.  Dr.  Fisher  will  do  the  right 
thing  by  him.  Oh!  everything  is  all  right,  Mrs. 
Pepper." 

Mrs.  Pepper  sighed  and  led  the  way  into  the 
house.  She  knew  in  spite  of  the  re-assuring 
words,  that  the  extreme  limit  of  the  " outing'1 
ought  to  be  passed  on  the  morrow. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    PARTY    SEPARATES. 

GOOD-BY  to  the  little  brown  house ! "  Joel 
and  David,  Percy  and  Van  sang  out  in 
dclefvl  chorus,  from  the  old  stage  coach ;  two 
of  the  boys  on  the  seat  shared  by  John  Tisbett, 
the  other  two  within  as  companions  to  Mrs. 
Pepper  and  Jasper,  who  were  going  home  to 
start  the  quartette  off  to  school. 

"  Ben  and  1  will  take  good  care  of  everything, 
Mamsie,"  said  Polly  for  the  fiftieth  time,  and 
climbing  up  on  the  steps  to  tuck  the  traveling 
shawl  closer.  Thereupon  Phronsie  climbed  up 
too,  to  do  the  same  thing.  "  Don't  you  worry ; 
we'll  take  care  of  things,"  she  echoed. 

"  I  sha'n't  worry,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper  in  a  bright 
197 


ig8  THK    PARTV    SEPARATES. 

assured  way.  "  Mother  knows  you'll  both  do  just 
right.  And  Phronsie'll  be  a  good  girl  too,"  with 
a  long  look  into  the  bright  eyes  peering  over  the 
window  casing  of  the  old  coach. 

"  I'll  try,"  said  Phronsie.  "  Good-by,  Mamsie," 
and  she  tried  to  stand  on  tiptoe  to  reach  her 
mouth  up. 

"  Goodness  me  !  "  cried  Polly,  "  you  nearly 
tumbled  off  the  steps.  Throw  her  a  kiss, 
Phronsie  ;  Mamsie'll  catch  it." 

"  If  that  child  wants  to  kiss  her  ma  agen,  she 
shall  do  it,"  declared  Mr.  Tisbett ;  and  throwing 
down  the  reins,  he  sprang  to  the  ground,  seized 
Phronsie,  and  swung  her  lightly  over  the  window 
edge.  "  There  you  be  —  went  through  just  like 
a  bird."  And  there  she  was,  sure  enough,  in 
Mrs.  Pepper's  lap. 

"  I  should  like  to  go  with  you,"  Phronsie  was 
whispering  under  Mrs.  Pepper's  bonnet  strings, 
';  Mamsie,  I  should." 

"  O,  no,  Phronsie  !  "  Mrs.  Pepper  made  haste 
to  whisper  back.  "  You  must  stay  with  Polly. 


THE    PARTY    SEPARATES.  199 

Why,  what  would  she  ever  do  without  you  ?  Be 
mother's  good  girl,  Phronsie ;  you're  all  coming 
home,  except  Auntie  and  Dick,  in  a  few  days." 

Phronsie  cast  one  look  at  Polly.  "Good-by,"' 
she  said  slowly.  "  Take  me  out  now,"  holding 
her  arms  towards  Mr.  Tisbett. 

"  Here  you  be  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Tisbett  mer- 
rily, reversing  the  process,  and  setting  her  care- 
fully on  the  ground.  ''Now,  says  I  ;  up  I  goes," 
his  foot  on  the  wheel  to  spring  to  the  box. 

"  Stay  !  "  a  peremptory  hand  was  laid  on  his 
shaggy  coat  sleeve,  and  he  turned  to  face  old 
Mr.  King. 

"  When  I  meet  a  man  who  can  do  such  a  kind 
thing,  it  is  worth  my  while  to  say  that  I  trust  no 
words  of  mine  gave  offense.  Bless  you,  man  !  " 
added  the  old  gentleman,  abruptly  changing  the 
tone  of  his  address  as  well  as  its  form,  "  it's  my 
way  ;  that's  all." 

John  Tisbett  had  no  words  to  offer,  but  re- 
mained, his  foot  on  the  wheel,  stupidly  staring 
up  at  the  handsome  old  face. 


200  THE    PARTY    SEPARATES. 

"We  shall  be  late  for  the  train,"  called  Jasper 
within  the  coach,  "  if  you  don't  start." 

"Get  up,  do!"  cried  Joel,  who  had  seized  the 
reins,  "  or  I'll  drive  off  without  you,  Mr.  Tisbett," 
which  had  the  effect  to  carry  honest  John  briskly 
up  to  his  place.  When  there,  he  took  off  his  fur 
cap  without  a  word,  and  bowed  to  Mr.  King, 
cracked  his  whip  and  they  were  off,  leaving  the 
four  on  the  little  foot-path  gazing  after  them, 
till  the  coach  was  only  a  speck  in  the  distance. 

"  Mamma  dear,"  said  Dick,  one  afternoon 
three  weeks  later  (the  little  brown  house  had 
been  closed  a  fortnight,  and  all  the  rest  of 
the  party  back  in  town),  "when  are  we  going 
home  ? " 

"Next  week,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney  brightly; 
"  the  doctor  thinks  if  all  goes  well,  you  can  be 
moved  from  here." 

Dick  leaned  back  in  the  big  chintz-covered 
chair.  "  Mamma,"  he  said,  "  your  cheeks  aren't 
so  pink,  and  not  quite  so  round,  but  I  think  you 
are  a  great  deal  nicer  mamma  than  you  were." 


THE    PARTY    SEPARATES.  2OI 

"  Do  you,  Dick  ? "  she  said,  laughing.  "  Well, 
we  have  had  a  happy  time  together,  haven't  we? 
The  fortnight  hasn't  been  so  long  for  you  as  I 
feared  when  the  others  all  went  away." 

"  It  hasn't  been  long  at  all,"  said  Dick  promptly 
and  burrowing  deeper  into  the  chair-back  ;  "  it's 
just  flown,  mamma.  I  like  Polly  and  Phronsie  ; 
but  I'd  rather  have  you  than  any  girl  I  know  ;  I 
had  really,  mamma." 

"  I'm  very  glad  to  hear  it,  Dick,"  said  Mrs. 
Whitney,  with  another  laugh. 

"  And  when  I  grow  up,  I'm  just  going  to  live 
with  you  forever  and  ever.  Do  you  suppose  papa 
will  be  always  going  to  Europe  then  ?  " 

"  I  trust  not,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney  fervently. 
"  Dicky,  would  you  like  to  have  a  secret  ? "  she 
asked  suddenly. 

The  boy's  eyes  sparkled.  "  Wouldn't  I 
mamma  ? "  he  cried,  springing  forward  in  the 
chair;  "  ugh  !  " 

"  Take  care,  darling,"  warned  his  mother. 
"You  must  remember  the  poor  leg." 


202  THE    PARTY    SEPARATES. 

Dick  made  a  grimace,  but  otherwise  took 
the  pain  pluckily.  "Tell  me,  do,  mamma,"  he 
begged,  "the  secret." 

"  Yes,  I  thought  it  would  be  a  pleasant  thing 
for  you  to  have  it  to  think  of,  darling,  while  you 
are  getting  well.  Dicky,  papa  is  coming  home 
soon." 

"  Right  away  ?  "  shouted  Dick  so  lustily  that 
Mrs.  Henderson  popped  her  head  in  the  door. 
"Oh  !  beg  your  pardon,"  she  said  ;  "  I  thought 
you  wanted  something." 

"  Isn't  it  lovely,"  cried  Mrs.  Whitney,  "  to  have 
a  boy  who  is  beginning  to  find  his  lungs  ? " 

"Indeed  it  is,"  cried  the  parson's  wife,  laugh- 
ing ;  "  I  always  picked  up  heart  when  my  children 
were  able  to  scream.  It's  good  to  hear  you, 
Dicky,"  as  she  closed  the  door. 

"Is  he  —  is  he — is  he?"  cried  Die?  in  a 
spasm  of  excitement,  "  coming  right  straight 
away,  mamma  ?  " 

"  Next  week,"  said  mamma,  with  happy  eyes. 
"  he  sails  in  the  Servia.  Next  week,  Dicky,  my 


THE    PARTY    SEPARATES.  203 

boy,  we  will  see  papa.  And  here  is  the  best 
part  of  the  secret.  Listen ;  it  has  all  been 
arranged  that  Mr.  Duyckink  shall  live  in  Liver- 
pool, so  that  papa  will  have  to  go  across  only 
once  in  a  while.  O,  Dicky  !  " 

That  "  O,  Dicky  !  "  told  volumes  to  the  boy's 
heart. 

"  Mamma,"  he  said  at  last,  "  isn't  it  good  that 
God  didn't  give  boys  and  girls  to  Mr.  Duyckink  ? 
Because  you  see  if  he  had,  why,  then  Mr.  Duyc- 
kink wouldn't  like  to  live  over  there." 

"Mr.  Duyckink  might  not  have  felt  as  your 
father  does,  Dicky  dear,  about  having  his  chil- 
dren educated  at  home  ;  and  Mrs.  Duyckink 
wants  to  go  to  England ;  rhe  hasn't  any  father, 
as  I  have,  Dicky  dear,  who  clings  to  the  old 
home." 

"  Only  I  wish  God  had  made  Mr.  Duyckink 
and  Mrs.  Duyckink  a  little  sooner,"  said  Dick 
reflectively.  "  I  mean,  made  them  want  to  go 
to  England  sooner,  don't  you,  mamma  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  we  ought  not  to  wish  that,"  said 


204 


THE    PARTV    SEPARATES. 


his  mother  with  a  smile,  "for  perhaps  we  needed 
to  be  taught  to  be  patient.     Only  now,  Dicky, 


MRS.  WHITNEY  RAN  x      THE  OLD-FASHIONED  LOOKING-GLASS 


just  think,  we  can  have  papa  actually  live  at 
home  with  us  !  " 

"Your  cheeks  are  pink  now,"  observed  Dick; 
"  just  the  very  pink  they  used  to  be,  mamma." 


THE    PARTY    SEPARATES.  2OC 

Mrs.  Whitney  ran  to  the  old-fashioned  looking- 
glass  hanging  in  its  pine-stained  frame,  between 
the  low  windows,  and  peered  in. 

"  Do  I  look  just  as  I  did  when  papa  went  away 
six  months  ago,  Dicky  ? "  she  asked  anxiously. 

"Yes,"  said  Dick,  "just  like  that,  only  a  great 
deal  nicer,"  he  added  enthusiastically. 

His  mother  laughed  and  pulled  at  a  bright 
wave  on  her  forehead  ;  dodged  a  bit  to  avoid  a 
long  crack  running  across  the  looking-glass  front. 

"Here's  Dr.  Fisher!  "  shouted  Dick  suddenly. 
"  Now,  you  old  fellow,  you,"  and  shaking  his 
small  fist  at  his  lame  leg,  "  you've  got  to  get  well, 
I  tell  you.  I  won't  wait  much  longer,  sir !  "  And 
as  the  doctor  came  in,  "I've  a  secret." 

"  Well,  then,  you  would  better  keep  it,"  said 
Dr.  Fisher.  "  Good  morning,"  to  Mrs.  Whitney. 
"  Our  young  man  here  is  getting  ahead  pretty 
fast,  I  should  think.  How's  the  leg,  Dicky  ?  " 
sitting  down  by  him. 

"  The  leg  is  all  right,"  cried  Dick  ;  "  I'm  going 
to  step  on  it,"  trying  to  get  out  of  the  chair. 


206  THE    PARTY    SEPARATES. 

"  Dicky  !  "  cried  his  mother  in  alarm. 

"Softly  —  softly  now,  young  man,"  said  Dr. 
Fisher.  "  I  suppose  you  want  me  to  cure  that 
leg  of  yours,  and  make  it  as  good  as  the  other 
one,  don't  you  ? " 

"  Why,  of  course,"  replied  Dick  ;  "  that's  what 
you  are  a  doctor  for." 

"  Well,  I  won't  agree  to  do  anything  of  the 
sort,"  said  the  little  doctor  coolly,  "if  you  don't 
do  your  part.  Do  you  know  what  patience 
means  ?" 

"  I've  been  patient,"  exclaimed  Dick,  in  a 
dudgeon,  "  for  ever  and  ever  so  many  weeks, 
and  now  papa  is  coming  home,  and  I  "  — 

And  then  he  realized  what  he  had  done, 
and  he  turned  quite  pale,  and  looked  at  his 
mother. 

Her  face  gave  no  sign,  but  he  sank  back  in 
his  chair,  feeling  disgraced  for  life,  and  ready 
to  keep  quiet  forever.  And  he  was  so  gooA 
while  Dr.  Fisher  was  attending  to  his  leg  that 
when  he  was  through,  the  little  doctor  turned  to 


THE    PARTY    SEPARATES.  2OJ 

him  approvingly  :  "  Well,  sir,  I  think  that  I  can 
promise  that  you  can  go  home  Saturday.  You've 
improved  beyond  my  expectation." 

But  Dick  didn't  "  hurrah,"  nor  even  smile. 

"  Dicky,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney,  smiling  into  his 
downcast  face,  "  how  glad  we  are  to  hear  that ; 
just  think,  good  Dr.  Fisher  says  we  may  go  next 
Saturday." 

"  I'm  glad,"  mumbled  Dick,  in  a  forlorn  little 
voice,  and  till  after  the  door  closed  on  the 
retreating  form  of  the  doctor,  it  was  all  that 
could  be  gotten  out  of  him.  Then  he  turned 
and  put  out  both  arms  to  his  mother. 

"  I  didn't  mean  —  I  didn't  mean  —  I  truly 
didn't  mean  —  to  tell  —  mamma,''  he  sobbed, 
as  she  clasped  him  closely. 

"  I  know  you  didn't,  dear,"  she  soothed  him. 
"  It  has  really  done  no  harm ;  papa  didn't  want 
the  home  people  to  know,  as  he  wants  to  sur- 
prise them." 

"  But  it  was  a  secret,"  said  Dick,  between  his 
tears,  feeling  as  if  he  had  lost  a  precious  treas- 


208  THE    PARTY    SEPARATES. 

ure  entrusted  to  him.  "  O,  mamma  !  I  really 
didn't  mean  to  let  it  go." 

"  Mamma  feels  quite  sure  of  that,"  said  Mrs. 
Whitney  gently.  "  You  are  right,  Dicky,  in 
feeling  sorry  and  ashamed,  because  anything 
given  to  you  to  keep,  is  not  your  own,  but 
belongs  to  another;  but,  my  boy,  the  next  duty 
is  to  keep  back  those  tears  —  all  this  is  hurting 
your  leg." 

Dick  struggled  manfully,  but  still  the  tears 
rolled  down  his  cheeks.  At  last  he  said,  rais- 
ing his  head,  "  You  would  much  better  let  me 
have  my  cry  out,  mamma ;  it's  half-way,  and  it 
hurts  to  send  it  back." 

"Well,  I  don't  think  so,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney, 
with  a  laugh.  "  I've  often  wanted  to  have  a 
cry  out,  as  you  call  it.  But  that's  weak,  Dicky, 
and  should  be  stopped,  for  the  more  one  cries, 
the  more  one  wants  to." 

"  You've  often  wanted  to  have  a  cry  out  ?  " 
repeated  Dick,  in  such  amazement  that  every 
tear  just  getting  ready  to  show  itself,  immedi- 


THE    PARTY    SEPARATES.    *  2OQ 

ately  rushed  back  again.  "Why,  you  haven't 
anything  to  cry  for,  mamma." 

"Indeed  I  have,"  she  declared ;  "often  and 
often,  I  do  many  things  that  I  ought  not  to  do  " — 

"Oh  !  never,  never,"  cried  Dick,  clutching 
her  around  the  neck,  to  the  detriment  of  her 
lace-trimmed  wrapper.  "  My  sweetest,  dearing- 
est  mamma  is  ever  and  always  just  right." 

"  Indeed,  Dick,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney  earnestly, 
"  the  longer  I  live,  I  find  that  every  day  I  have 
something  to  be  sorry  for  in  myself.  But  God, 
you  know,  is  good,"  she  whispered  softly. 

Dick  was  silent. 

"And  then  when  papa  goes,"  continued  Mrs. 
Whitney,  "  why,  then,  my  boy,  it  is  very  hard 
not  to  cry." 

Here  was  something  that  the  boy  could 
grasp  ;  and  he  seized  it  with  avidity. 

"  And  you  stop  crying  for  us,"  he  cried  ;  "  I 
know  now  why  you  always  put  on  your  prettiest 
gown,  and  play  games  with  us  the  evening  after 
papa  goes.  I  know  now." 


210  »  THE    PARTY    SEPARATES. 

"  Here  are  three  letters,"  cried  the  parson, 
hurrying  in,  and  tossing  them  over  to  the  boy. 
"  And  Polly  Pepper  has  written  to  me,  too." 

Dick  screamed  with  delight.  ''Two  for  me; 
one  from  Ben,  and  one  from  Grandpapa!" 

"And  mine  is  from  Phronsie,"  said  Mrs. 
Whitney,  seizing  an  epistle  carefully  printed  in 
blue  crayon. 

But  although  there  were  three  letters  from 
home,  none  of  them  carried  the  news  of  what 
was  going  on  there.  None  of  them  breathed  a 
syllable  that  Cousin  Eunice  Chatterton  was  ill 
with  a  low  fever,  aggravated  by  nervous  pros- 
tration ;  and  that  Mrs.  Pepper  and  Polly  were 
having  a  pretty  hard  time  of  it.  On  the  con- 
trary, every  bit  of  news  was  of  the  cheeriest 
nature  ;  Jasper  tucked  on  a  postscript  to  his 
father's  letter,  in  which  he  gave  the  latest  bulle- 
tin of  his  school  life.  And  Polly  did  the  same 
thing  to  Ben's  letter.  Even  Phronsie  went  into 
a  long  detail  concerning  the  new  developments 
of  a  wonderful  kitten  she  had  left  at  home,  to 


THE    PARTY    SEPARATES.  211 

take  her  visit  to  Badgertown,  so  the  two  recipi- 
ents never  missed  the  lack  of  information  in 
regard  to  the  household  life,  from  which  they 
were  shut  out. 

Only  once  Mrs.  Whitney  said  thoughtfully, 
as  she  folded  her  letter  and  slipped  it  back  into 
its  envelope,  "  They  don't  speak  of  Mrs.  Chat- 
terton.  I  presume  she  has  changed  her  plans, 
and  is  going  to  remain  longer  at  her  nephew's." 

"  I  hope  she'll  live  there  always,"  declared 
Dick,  looking  up  savagely  from  Ben's  letter. 
"  What  an  old  guy  she  is,  mamma  !  " 

"  Dick,  Dick,"  said  his  mother  reprovingly, 
"  she  is  our  guest,  you  know." 

"  Not  if  she  is  at  her  nephew's,"  said  Dick 
triumphantly,  turning  back  to  his  letter. 

Polly  at  this  identical  minute  was  slowly 
ascending  the  stairs,  a  tray  in  one  hand,  the 
contents  of  which  she  was  anxiously  regarding 
on  the  way. 

"  I  do  hope  it  is  right  now,"  she  said,  and 
presently  knocked  at  Mrs.  Chatterton's  door. 


THE    PARTY    SEPARATES. 


"  Come  in,"  said  that  lady's  voice  fretfully. 
And,  "  Do  close  the  door,"  before  Polly  and 
her  tray  were  well  within. 


POLLY   STOOD   QUITE  STILL. 

Polly  shut  the  door  gently,  and  approached 
the  bedside. 

"  I  am  so  faint  I  do  not  know  that  I  can  take 
any,"  said  Mrs.  Chatterton.  Whether  it  was 
her  white  cashmere  dressing  robe,  and  her  deli- 
cate lace  cap  that  made  her  face  seem  against 


THE    PARTY    SEPARATES.  213 

the  pillows,  wan  and  white,  Polly  did  not  know. 
But  it  struck  her  that  she  looked  more  ill  than 
usual,  and  she  said  earnestly,  "  I  am  so  sorry  I 
wasn't  quicker." 

"  There  is  no  call  for  an  apology  from  you," 
said  Mrs.  Chatterton  coldly.  "  Set  the  tray 
down  on  the  table,  and  get  a  basin  of  water ;  I 
need  to  be  bathed." 

Polly  stood  quite  still,  even  forgetting  to  de- 
posit the  tray. 

"  Set  the  tray  down,  I  told  you,"  repeated 
Mrs.  Chatterton  sharply,  "  and  then  get  the 
basin  of  water." 

"  I  will  call  Hortense,"  said  Polly  quietly, 
placing  the  tray  as  desired. 

"  Hortense  has  gone  to  the 4  apothecary's," 
said  Mrs.  Chatterton,  "and  I  will  not  have  one 
of  the  other  maids;  they  are  too  insufferable." 

And  indeed  Polly  knew  that  it  would  be 
small  use  to  summon  one  of  them,  as  Martha, 
the  most  obliging,  had  airily  tossed  her  head 
when  asked  to  do  some  little  service  for  the 


214  THE   PARTY    SEPARATES. 

sick  woman  that  very  morning,  declaring,  "  I 
will  never  lift  another  ringer  for  that  Madame 
Chatterton." 

"  My  neck  aches,  and  my  side,  and  my  head," 
iaid  Mrs.  Chatterton  irritably  ;  "  why  do  you 
"Ot  do  as  I  bid  you  ?  " 

For  one  long  instant,  Polly  hesitated ;  then  she 
aimed  to  rush  from  the  room,  a  flood  of  angry, 
bitter  feelings  surging  through  her  heart,  more 
at  the  insufferable  tone  and  manner,  than  at 
what  she  was  bidden  to  do.  Only  turned  ;  and 
she  was  back  by  the  side  of  the  bed,  and  look- 
ing down  into  the  fretful,  dictatorial  old  face. 

"  I  will  bathe  you,  Mrs.  Chatterton,"  she  said 
gently;  "I'll  bring  the  water  in  a  minute." 


CHAPTER   XI. 

POOR    POLLY  ! 

YOU  are  very  awkward,  child,"  observed 
Mrs.  Chatterton  to  Polly  on  her  knees, 
"and  abrupt.  Move  the  sponge  more  slowly; 
there,  that  is  better." 

Polly  shifted  her  position  from  one  aching 
knee  to  another,  set  her  lips  closer  together,  and 
bent  all  her  young  energies  to  gentler  effects. 
But  Mrs.  Chatterton  cried  out  irritably  : 

"Have  you  never  taken  care  of  a  sick  person, 
pray  tell,  or  is  it  all  your  back-country  training, 
that  makes  you  so  heavy-handed  ?  " 

"I  helped  mother  take  care  of  Phronsie  when 
she  had  the  measles,  and  Ben  and  Joel,"  said 
Polly,  "five  years  ago;  we  haven't  been  sick 
lately." 


2l6  POOR    POLLY  ! 

"  Humph  !  "  ejaculated  Mrs.  Chatterton,  not 
very  elegantly.  But  what  was  the  use  of  a  fine 
manner  when  there  was  nobody  but  a  little 
back-country  maiden  to  see  it  ? 

"  I  shall  have  to  endure  it  till  Hortense  re- 
turns," she  said  with  a  sigh ;  "  besides,  it  is  my 
duty  to  give  you  something  useful  to  do  in  this 
house.  You  should  be  thankful  that  I  allow 
you  to  bathe  me." 

Polly's  eyes  flashed,  and  the  hand  holding 
the  sponge  trembled.  Nothing  but  the  fear  of 
troubling  Mamsie,  and  dear  old  Mr.  King  whose 
forbearance  was  worn  to  the  finest  of  threads, 
kept  her  at  her  post. 

"  Now  get  the  violet  water,"  said  Mrs.  Chat- 
terton, with  an  air  she  would  never  have  dared 
employ  towards  Hortense ;  "  it  is  the  bottle  in 
the  lower  left-hand  corner  of  the  case." 

Polly  got  up  from  her  knees,  and  stiffly  stum- 
bled across  the  room  to  the  case  of  silver-mounted 
toilet  articles  :  in  her  Jumult  bringing  away  the 
upper  right-hand  corner  vial. 


POOR    POLLY  !  217 

"  Stupide!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Chatterton  among 
her  pillows.  "  Go  back,  and  do  as  I  bid  you, 
girl ;  the  lower  left-hand  corner  bottle!" 

Without  a  word  Polly  returned,  and  bringing 
the  right  vial  set  about  its  use  as  directed,  in 
a  rapidly  growing  dismay  at  the  evil  feelings 
surging  through  her,  warning  her  it  would  not 
be  safe  to  stay  in  the  room  much  longer. 

"  Do  you  understand,"  presently  began  Mrs. 
Chatterton,  fastening  her  cold  blue  eyes  upon 
her,  "  what  your  position  is  in  this  house  ? 
Everybody  else  appears  to  be  blind  and  idiotic 
to  the  last  degree  ;  you  seem  to  have  a  little 
quickness  to  catch  an  idea." 

As  Polly  did  not  answer,  the  question  was 
repeated  very  sharply  :  "  Do  you  understand 
what  your  position  is  in  this  house  ? " 

"  Yes,"  said  Polly,  in  a  low  voice,  and  dashing 
out  the  violet  water  with  a  reckless  hand,  "  I  do." 

"Take  care,"  impatiently  cried  Mrs.  Chaiter- 
ton.  Then  she  pushed  her  pillow  into  a  bettei 
position,  and  returned  to  the  charge. 


2l8  POOR    POLLY  ! 

"  What  is  it,  pray,  since  you  understand  it  so 
well  ? " 

"  I  understand  that  I  am  here  in  this  house," 
said  Polly,  quite  cold  and  white,  "  because  dear 
Mr.  King  wants  me  to  be  here." 

"  DEAR  Mr.  King !  "  echoed  Mrs.  Chatterton. 
in  shrill  disdain.  "  Stuff  and  nonsense,"  and 
she  put  her  head  back  for  an  unpleasant  cackle : 
it  could  hardly  be  called  a  laugh.  "What  an 
idiot  the  man  is  to  have  the  wool  pulled  over 
his  eyes  in  this  fashion.  I'll  tell  you,  Polly"  — 
and  she  raised  herself  up  on  her  elbow,  the  soft 
lace  falling  away  from  the  white,  and  yet  shapely 
arm.  This  member  had  been  one  of  her  strong- 
est claims  to  beauty,  and  even  in  her  rage,  Mrs. 
Chatterton  paused  a  second  to  glance  compla- 
cently at  it  in  its  new  position  —  "you  are,  when 
all  is  said  about  your  dear  Mr.  King,  and  your 
absurd  assumption  of  equality  with  refined  people 
who  frequent  this  house,  exactly  the  same  under- 
bred country  girl  as  you  were  in  your  old  brown 
house,  goodness  knows  wherever  that  is." 


POOR    POLLY  !  219 

"  I'm  glad  I  am,"  declared  Polly.  And  she 
actually  laughed  merrily,  while  she  squared  her 
sturdy  shoulders.  Nothing  could  be  sweeter 
than  to  hear  it  said  she  was  worthy  of  the 
dear  little  old  brown  house,  and  didn't  disgrace 
Mamsie's  bringing  up. 

The  laugh  was  the  last  feather  that  overthrew 
Mrs.  Chatterton's  restraint.  She  was  actually 
furious  now  that  she,  widow  of  Algernon  Chat-' 
terton,  who  was  own  cousin  to  Joseph  Horatio 
King,  should  be  faced  by  such  presumption,  and 
her  words  put  aside  with  girlish  amusement. 

"  And  I'll  tell  you  more,"  she  went  on,  sitting 
quite  erect  now  on  the  bed,  "  your  mother  thinks 
she  is  doing  a  fine  thing  to  get  all  her  family 
wormed  in  here  in  this  style,  but  she'll  "  — 

Polly  Pepper,  the  girlish  gladness  gone  from 
heart  and  face,  waited  for  no  more.  "  Our 
mother !  "  she  cried  stormily,  unable  to  utter 
another  word  —  "  oh-oh  ! "  Her  breath  came 
in  quick,  short  gasps,  the  hot  indignant  blood 
mounting  to  the  brown  waves  of  hair  on  her 


220  POOR    POLLY  ! 

brow,  while  she  clasped  her  hands  so  tightly 
together,  the  pain  at  any  other  time  would  have 
made  her  scream. 

Mrs.  Chatterton,  aghast  at  the  effect  of  her 
words,  leaned  back  once  more  against  her  pil- 
lows. "  Don't  try  to  work  up  a  scene,"  she 
endeavored  to  say  carelessly.  But  she  might 
as  well  have  remonstrated  with  the  north  wind. 
The  little  country  maiden  had  a  temper  as  well 
as  her  own,  and  all  the  more  for  its  long  restraint, 
now  on  breaking  bounds,  it  rushed  at  the  one  who 
had  provoked  it,  utterly  regardless  that  it  was 
the  great  Mrs.  Algernon  Chatterton. 

For  two  minutes,  so  breathlessly  did  Polly 
hurl  the  stinging  sentences  at  the  figure  on  the 
bed,  Cousin  Eunice  was  obliged  to  let  her  have 
her  own  way.  Then  as  suddenly,  the  torrent 
ceased.  Polly  grew  quite  white.  "  What  have 
I  done  —  oh!  what  have  I  done?"  she  cried, 
and  rushed  out  of  the  room. 

"  Polly —  Polly ! "  called  Jasper's  voice  below. 
She  knew  he  wanted  her  to  try  a  new  duet  he 


POOR    POLLY !  221 

had  gone  down  town  to  purchase  ;  but  how  could 
she  play  with  such  a  storm  in  her  heart  ?  and, 
worse  than  all  else,  the  consciousness  that  she 
had  spoken  to  one  whose  gray  hairs  should  have 
made  her  forget  the  provocation  received  — 
words  that  now  plunged  her  into  a  hot  shame 
to  recall. 

She  flew  over  the  stairs  —  up,  away  from  every 
one's  sight  to  a  long,  dark  lumber  room,  partially 
filled  with  trunks,  and  a  few  articles  of  furniture, 
prized  as  heirlooms,  but  no  longer  admissible  in 
the  family  apartments.  Polly  closed  the  door 
behind  her,  and  sank  down  in  the  shadow  of  a 
packing  box  half  filled  with  old  pictures,  in  a 
distress  that  would  not  even  let  her  think.  She 
covered  her  face  with  her  hands,  too  angry  with 
herself  to  cry  ;  too  aghast  at  the  mischief  she 
had  done,  to  even  remember  the  dreadful  words 
Mrs.  Chatterton  had  said  to  her. 

"  For  of  course,  now  she  will  complain  to 
Mamsie,  and  I'm  really  afraid  Mr.  King  will 
find  it  out;  and  it  only  needs  a  little  thing  to 


222  POOR    POLLY  ! 

make  him  send  her  off.     He  said  yesterday  Dr. 
Valentine  told  him  there  was  nothing  really  the 


"o  DEAR!   i  DON'T  KNOW  WHAT  WILL  HAPPEN." 

matter  with  her,  and  —  and  — .  O  dear  !  I  don't 
know  what  will  happen." 

To  poor  Polly,  crouching  there  on  the  floor  in 
the  dim  and  dusty  corner,  it  seemed  as  if  her 
wretchedness  held  no  hope.  Turn  whichever 
way  she  might,  the  dreadful  words  she  had 
uttered,  rang  through  her  heart.  They  could 


POOR    POLLY !  223 

not  be  unsaid ;  they  were  never  to  be  forgotten ; 
but  must  always  stay  and  rankle  there. 

"  Oh-oh ! "  she  moaned,  clasping  her  knees 
with  distressed  little  palms,  and  swaying  back 
and  forth,  "  why  didn't  I  remember  what  Mamsie 
has  always  told  us  —  that  no  insult  can  do  us 
harm  if  only  we  do  not  say  or  do  anything  in 
return.  Why  —  why  couldn't  I  have  remembered 
it  ? " 

How  long  she  staid  there  she  never  knew. 
But  at  last,  realizing  that  every  moment  there 
was  only  making  matters  worse,  she  dragged 
herself  up  from  the  little  heap  on  the  floor,  and 
trying  to  put  a  bit  of  cheerfulness  into  a  face 
she  knew  must  frighten  Mamsie,  she  went  slowl) 
out,  and  down  the  stairs. 

But  no  one  looked  long  enough  at  her  face 
to  notice  its  change  of  expression.  Polly,  the 
moment  she  turned  towards  the  household  life 
again,  could  feel  that  the  air  was  charged  with 
some  intense  excitement.  Hortense  met  her  on 
the  lower  stairs;  the  maid  was  startled  out  of 


224  POOR   POLLY  ! 

her  usual  nonchalance,  and  was  actually  in  a 
hurry. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  cried  Polly. 

"  Oh  !  the  Madame  is  eel,"  said  the  maid ; 
"  the  doctaire  says  it  is  not  a  lie  dees  time," 
and  she  swept  past  Polly. 

Polly  clung  to  the  stair-railing,  her  face  whiten- 
ing, and  her  gaze  fastened  upon  Mrs.  Chatter- 
ton's  door,  where  Hortense  was  now  disappearing. 
Inside,  was  a  sound  of  voices,  and  that  subdued 
stir  that  gives  token  of  a  sick  room. 

"  I  have  killed  her !  "  cried  Polly's  heart. 
For  one  wild  moment  she  was  impelled  to  flight ; 
anywhere,  she  did  not  care  where,  to  shake  off 
by  motion  in  the  free  air,  this  paralysis  of  fear. 
But  the  next  she  started  and  rushing  down  the 
stairs,  and  into  Mr.  King's  room,  cried  out, 
"  Oh !  dear  Grandpapa,  will  Mrs.  Chatterton 
die?" 

"  No,  no,  I  think  not,"  replied  the  old  gentle- 
man, surprised  at  her  feeling.  "  Cousin  Eunice 
never  did  show  much  self-control ;  but  then, 


POOR  POLLY!  225 

I  don't  believe  this  piece  of  bad  news  will 
kill  her." 

"Bad  news?"  gasped  Polly,  hanging  to  the 
table  where  Mr.  King  was  writing  letters.  "O, 
Grandpapa  !  what  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Bless  me  !  where  have  you  been,  Polly 
Pepper,"  said  Mr.  King,  settling  his  eyeglass 
to  regard  her  closely,  "not  to  hear  the  uproar 
in  this  house  ?  Yes,  Mrs.  Chatterton  received  a 
telegram  a  half-hour  since  that  her  nephew, 
the  only  one  that  she  was  very  fond  of  among 
her  relatives,  was  drowned  at  sea,  and  she  has 
been  perfectly  prostrated  by  it,  till  she  really  is 
quite  ill." 

Polly  waited  to  hear  no  more,  but  on  the  wings 
of  the  wind,  flew  out '  and  up  the  stairs  once 
more. 

"  Where  have  you  been,  Polly?  "  cried  Jasper, 
coining  out  of  a  side  passage  in  time  to  catch  a 
dissolving  view  of  her  flying  figure.  "  Polly  — 
Polly  !  "  and  he  took  three  steps  to  her  one,  and 
gained  her  side. 


226  POOR    POLLY  ! 

"  Oh !  don't  stop  me,"  begged  Polly,  flying  on, 
"don't,  Jasper." 

He  took  a  good  look  at  her  face.  "  Anything 
I  can  help  you  about  ?  "  he  asked  quickly. 

She  suddenly  stopped,  her  foot  on  the  stair 
above.  "  O,  Jasper  !  "  she  cried,  with  clasped 
hands,  "you  don't  know  —  she  may  die,  and  I 
said  horribly  cruel  things  to  her." 

"Who — Mrs.  Chatterton  ?  "  said  the  boy, 
opening  his  dark  eyes;  "why,  you  couldn't 
have  said  cruel  things  to  her,  Polly.  Don't 
be  foolish,  child."  He  spoke  as  he  would  to 
Phronsie's  terror,  and  smiled  into  her  face.  But 
it  did  not  reassure  Polly. 

"Jasper,  you  don't  know ;  you  can't  guess  what 
dreadful  things  I  said,"  cried  poor  overwhelmed 
Polly,  clasping  her  hands  tightly  together  at  the 
mere  thought  of  the  words  she  had  uttered. 

"  Then  she  must  have  said  dreadful  things  to 
you,"  said  the  boy. 

"  She  —  but,  O,  Jasper  !  that  doesn't  make  it 
any  better  for  me,"  said  Polly.  "  Don't  stop 


POOR    POLLY  ! 


227 


me  ;  I  am  going  to  see  if  they  won't  let  me  do 
something  for  her." 

"  There  are  ever  so  many  up  there  now,"  said 
Jasper.  "Your 
mother,  and  Hor- 
tense,  and  two  or 
three  maids.  What 
in  the  world  could 
you  do,  Polly  ? 
Come  down  into 
the  library,  and 
tell  us  all  about 
it." 

But  Polly  broke 
away  from  him 
with  an,  "Oh!  I 
must  do  some- 
thing  for  her," 
speeding  on  until  she  softly  worked  her  way 
into  the  sick  room. 

Mrs.  Pepper  was  busy  with  the  doctor  in  the 
further  part  of  the  room,  and  Polly  stood  quite 


SHE    WENT    SOFTLY   TO    THE    SICK 
ROOM. 


228  POOR    POLLY  1 

still  for  a  moment,  wishing  she  were  one  of  the 
maids,  to  whom  a  bit  of  active  service  was 
given.  She  could  not  longer  endure  her  thoughts 
in  silence,  and  gently  going  up  to  her  mother's 
side,  with  a  timorous  glance  at  the  bed,  as  she 
passed  it,  she  begged,  "  Mamsie,  can't  I  do  some- 
thing for  her?  " 

Mrs.  Pepper  glanced  up  quickly.  "No  —  yes, 
you  can ;  take  this  prescription  down  to  Oakley's 
to  be  prepared." 

Polly  seized  the  bit  of  paper  from  Dr.  Valen- 
tine's hand,  and  hurried  out.  Again  she  glanced 
fearfully  at  the  bed,  but  the  curtain  on  that  side 
was  drawn  so  that  only  the  outline  of  the  figure 
could  be  seen.  She  was  soon  out  on  the  street, 
the  movement  through  the  fresh  air  bringing 
back  a  little  color  to  her  cheek,  and  courage  to 
her  heart.  Things  did  not  seem  quite  so  bad 
if  she  only -might  do  something  for  the  poor  sick 
woman  that  could  atone  for  the  wretched  work 
she  had  done  ;  at  least  it  would  be  some  comfort 
if  the  invalid  could  be  helped  by  her  service. 


POOR    POLLY !  229 

Thus  revolving  everything  in  her  mind,  Polly 
did  not  hear  her  name  called,  nor  rapid  foot- 
steps hurrying  after. 

"Wait!"  at  last  cried  a  voice;  "oh  !  dear  me, 
what  is  the  matter,  Polly?"  Alexia  Rhys  threw 
herself  up  flushed  and  panting  at  Polly's  side. 

"  I'm  on  the  way  to  the  apothecary's,"  said 
Polly,  without  looking  around. 

"  So  I  should  suppose,"  said  Alexia;  "O  dear! 
I  am  so  hot  and  tired.  Do  go  a  bit  slower, 
Polly." 

"  I  can't,"  said  Polly.  "  She's  very  sick,  and  I 
must  get  this  just  as  soon  as  I  can."  She  waved 
the  prescription  at  her,  and  redoubled  her  speed. 

"  Who  ? "  gasped  Alexia,  stumbling  after  as 
best  she  could. 

"  Mrs.  Chatterton,"  said  Polly,  a  lump  in  her 
throat  as  she  uttered  the  name. 

"  Oh  !  dear  me  ;  that  old  thing,"  cried  Alexia, 
her  enthusiasm  over  the  errand  gone. 

"  Hush  !  "  said  Polly  hoarsely ;  "  she  may  die 
She  has  had  bad  news." 


230  POOR    POLLY  ! 

"  What  ?  "  asked  Alexia  ;  the  uncomfortable 
walk  might  be  enlivened  by  a  bit  of  stray  gossip; 
"  what  is  it,  Polly  ?  What  news  ?  " 

"  A  telegram,"  said  Polly.  "  Her  favorite 
nephew  was  drowned  at  sea." 

"Oh!  I  didn't  know  she  had  any  favorite 
nephew.  Doesn't  she  fight  with  everybody  ? " 

"  Do  be  quiet,"  begged  Polly.  "  No;  that  is, 
perhaps,  other  people  are  not  kind  to  her." 

"  Oh ! "  said  Alexia,  in  a  surprised  voice. 
"  Well,  I  think  she's  perfectly  and  all-through- 
and-through  horrid,  so  !  Don't  race  like  this 
through  the  streets,  Polly.  You'll  get  there 
soon  enough." 

But  Polly  turned  a  deaf  ear,  and  at  last  the 
prescription  was  handed  over  the  counter  at 
Oakley's,  and  after  what  seemed  an  endless 
time  to  Polly,  the  medicine  was  given  to  her. 

"Now  as  soon  as  you  carry  that  thing  home," 
observed  Alexia,  glancing  at  the  white  parcel  in 
Polly's  hand,  "  I  hope  you'll  come  with  us  girls. 
That's  what  I  ran  after  you  for." 


POOR    POLLY  !  231 

"  What  girls  ?  "  asked  Polly. 

"  Why,  Philena  and  the  Cornwalls  ;  we  are 
going  to  have  a  sleighing  party  to-night,  and 
a  supper  at  Lilly  DrexelPs.  Mrs.  Cornwall 
chaperones  the  thing." 

Polly  was  surprised  to  feel  her  heart  bound. 
It  hadn't  seemed  as  if  it  could  ever  be  moved  by 
any  news  of  girlish  frolics,  but  that  its  dull  ache 
must  go  on  forever. 

"  Oh !  I  can't,"  she  cried  the  next  moment. 
"  I  must  stay  at  home,  and  help  take  care  of 
Mrs.  Chatterton." 

"  Nonsense  !  "  exclaimed  Alexia  in  a  provoked 
tone  ;  "you  are  not  wanted  there,  Polly  Pepper; 
the  idea,  with  that  great  house  full  of  servants." 

"  Well,  I  shall  not  go,"  declared  Polly  sharply  ; 
"  you  needn't  ask  me,  Alexia.  I  shall  stay  home 
till  she  gets  well." 

"  You  little  idiot !  "  cried  Alexia,  thoroughly 
out  of  temper.  But  as  this  produced  no  effect  on 
Polly,  she  began  to  wheedle  and  coax.  "  Now, 
Polly,  do  be  reasonable.  You  know  we  can't 


232  POOR   POLLY  ! 

go  without  you;  you  wouldn't  spoil  the  whole 
thing,  you  know  you  wouldn't.  I  shall  just  tell 
the  Cornwalls  that  you  are  coming,"  and  she 
turned  off  to  the  corner  of  the  avenue. 

"Indeed  you  will  not,"  called  Polly  after  her. 
"  Don't  you  dare  do  that,  Alexia  Rhys,"  she 
said,  with  flashing  eyes. 

"  You  are  the  most  uncomfortable  girl  I  ever 
saw,"  cried  Alexia,  stopping,  to  come  slowly 
back.  "  You  spoil  every  bit  of  fun  with  your 
absurd  notions.  I'm  quite,  quite  put  out  with 
you,  Polly." 

"  I'm  sorry,"  said  poor  Polly,  fairly  longing 
for  the  snow-revel,  and  dismayed  at  disappoint- 
ing the  girls. 

"  No,  you're  not,"  pouted  Alexia,  "  and  I  shall 
tell  them  all  so,"  and  she  broke  away  and  ran  off 
in  the  opposite  direction. 

Polly  was  met  at  the  door  by  Mrs.  Pepper,  who 
grasped  the  packet  of  medicine  quickly. 

"  Isn't  there  anything  else  I  can  do,  Mamsie  ?" 
begged  Polly. 


POOR    POLLY !  233 

"  No  ;  sit  down  and  rest ;  you're  hot  and  tired, 
you've  run  so." 

"  I'm  not  tired,"  said  Polly,  not  daring  to  ask 
"  Is  she  better  ?  " 

"Well,  you  must  be,"  said  Mrs.  Pepper,  hurry- 
ing off,  "going  all  the  way  down  to  Oakley's." 

So  Polly  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  sit  out  in  the 
hall,  and  listen  and  watch  all  the  movements  in 
the  sick  room,  every  one  of  which  but  increased 
her  terror.  At  last  she  could  bear  it  no  longer, 
and  as  Dr.  Valentine  came  out,  putting  on  his 
gloves,  she  rushed  after  him. 

"Oh!  will  she  die?"  she  begged;  "please  do 
tell  me,  sir." 

"  Die  ?  no  indeed,  I  hope  not,"  said  Dr.  Val- 
entine. "  She  has  had  a  severe  shock  to  her 
nerves  and  her  age  is  against  her,  but  she  is 
coming  around  all  right,  I  trust.  Why,  Polly, 
I  thought  better  things  of  you,  my  girl."  He 
glanced  down  into  the  distressed  face  with  pro- 
fessional disfavor. 

"  I'm  so  glad  she  won't  die,"  breathed  Polly, 


234  POOR    POLLY  ! 

wholly  lost  to  his  opinion  of  her ;  and  her  face 
gleamed  with  something  of  her  old  brightness. 

"  I  didn't  know  you  were  so  fond  of  her," 
observed  Dr.  Valentine  grimly ;  "  indeed,  to 
speak  truthfully,  I  have  yet  to  learn  that  any- 
body is  fond  of  her,  Polly." 

"  Now  if  you  really  want  to  help  her,"  he 
continued  thoughtfully,  pulling  his  beard,  as 
Polly  did  not  answer,  "  I  can  give  you  one  or 
two  hints  that  might  be  of  use." 

"Oh!  I  do,  I  do,"  cried  Polly,  with  eagerness. 

"  It  will  be  tiresome  work,"  said  Dr.  Valentine, 
"but  it  will  be  a  piece  of  real  charity,  and  perhaps, 
Polly,  it's  as  well  for  you  to  begin  now  as  to  wait 
till  you  can  belong  to  forty  charity  clubs,  and  spend 
your  time  going  to  committee  meetings."  And 
he  laughed  not  altogether  pleasantly.  How  was 
Polly  to  know  that  Mrs.  Valentine  was  immersed 
up  to  her  ears  in  a  philanthropic  sea  with  the 
smallest  possible  thought  for  the  Doctor's  home  ? 
"  Now  that  maid,"  said  the  physician,  dropping 
his  tone  to  a  confidential  one,  "  is  as  well  as  the 


POOR    POLLY  !  235 

average,  but  she's  not  the  one  who  is  to  amuse 
the  old  lady.  It's  that  she  needs  more  than  medi- 
cine, Polly.  She  actually  requires  diversion." 

Poor  Polly  stood  as  if  turned  to  stone.  Diver- 
sion !  And  she  had  thrown  away  all  chance  of 
that. 

"She  is  suffering  for  the  companionship  of  some 
bright  young  nature."  Dr.  Valentine  proceeded, 
attributing  the  dismay  written  all  over  the  girl's 
face,  to  natural  unwillingness  to  do  the  service. 
"After  she  gets  over  this  attack  she  needs  to  be 
read  to  for  one  thing;  to  be  told  the  news;  to 
be  made  to  forget  herself.  But  of  course,  Polly," 
he  said  hastily,  buttoning  his  top  coat,  and  open- 
ing the  outer  door,  "  it's  too  much  to  ask  of  you, 
so  think  no  more  about  it,  child." 


CHAPTER   XII. 

NEW   WORK    FOR    POLLY. 

IT  was  Saturday  morning,  and  Polly  ran  up- 
stairs with  a  bright  face,  the  morning  Jour- 
nal in  her  hand.     "  I'm  going  to  stay  with  Mrs. 
Chatterton,  Hortense,"  she  announced  to  that 
functionary  in  the  dressing-room. 

"  And  a  comfairte  may  it  gif  to  you,"  said 
Hortense,  with  a  vicious  shake  of  the  silk 
wrapper  in  her  hand,  before  hanging  it  in  its 
place.  "  Madame  has  the  tres  diablerie,  cross 
as  de  two  steeks,  what  you  call  it,  dis  morning." 

Polly  went  softly  into  the  room,  closing  the 
door  gently  after  her.  In  the  shadow  of  one 
corner  of  the  large  apartment,  sat  Mrs.  Chat- 
terton under  many  wrappings  in  the  depths  of 
an  invalid's  chair.  Polly  went  up  to  her  side. 
236 


NEW    WORK    FOR    POLLY.  237 

"  Would  you  like  to  have  me  read  the  news, 
Mrs.  Chatterton  ?  "  she  asked  gently. 

Mrs.  Chatterton  turned  her  head  and  looked 
at  her.  "  No,"  she  was  about  to  say  shortly, 
just  as  she  had  repulsed  many  little  offers  of 
Polly's  for  the  past  few  days ;  but  somehow 
this  morning  the  crackling  of  the  fresh  sheet 
in  the  girl's  hand,  suggestive  of  crisp  bits  of  gos- 
sip, was  too  much  for  her  to  hear  indifferently, 
especially  as  she  was  in  a  worse  state  of  mind 
than  usual  over  Hortense  and  her  bad  temper. 

"  You  may  sit  down  and  read  a  little,  if  you 
like,"  she  said  ungraciously.  So  Polly,  happy 
as  a  queen  at  the  permission,  slipped  into  a 
convenient  chair,  and  began  at  once.  She  hap- 
pened fortunately  on  just  the  right  things  for 
the  hungry  ears  ;  a  description  of  a  large  church 
wedding,  the  day  before  ;  two  or  three  bits  about 
society  people  that  Mrs.  Chatterton  had  lost  sight 
of,  and  a  few  other  items  just  as  acceptable. 

Polly  read  on  and  on,  from  one  thing  to 
another,  not  daring  to  look  up  to  see  the  effect, 


238  NEW    WORK    FOR    POLLY. 

until  at  last  everything  in  the  way  of  gossip  was 
exhausted. 

"  Is  that  all  ? "  asked  Mrs.  Chatterton  hun- 
grily. 

Polly,  hunting  the  columns  for  anything, 
even  a  murder  account  if  it  was  but  in  high 
life,  turned  the  paper  again  disconsolately, 
obliged  to  confess  it  was. 

"  Well,  do  put  it  by,  then,"  said  Mrs.  Chatter- 
ton  sharply,  "  and  not  whirl  it  before  my  face  ; 
it  gives  me  a  frightful  headache." 

"  I  might  get  the  Town  Talk"  suggested 
Polly,  as  a  bright  thought  struck  her.  "  It  came 
yesterday.  I  saw  it  on  the  library  table." 

"  So  it  is  Saturday."  Mrs.  Chatterton  looked 
up  quickly.  "Yes,  you  may,  Polly,"  her  mouth 
watering  for  the  revel  she  would  have  in  its 
contents. 

So  Polly  ran  over  the  stairs  with  delighted 
feet,  and  into  the  library,  beginning  to  rummage 
over  the  papers  and  magazines  on  the  reading 
table. 


NEW    WORK    FOR    POLLY.  239 

"Where  is  it  ?"  she  exclaimed,  turning  them 
with  quick  fingers.  "  O,  dear  !  it  was  right  here 
last  evening." 

"  What  is  it  ? "  asked  Phronsie,  from  the  depths 
of  a  big  arm-chair,  and  looking  up  from  her 
book.  Then  she  saw  as  soon  as  she  had  asked 
the  question,  that  Polly  was  in  trouble,  so 
she  laid  down  her  book,  and  slid  out  of 
the  chair.  "  What  is  it,  Polly  ?  Let  me  help 
you,  do." 

"Why,  the  Town  Talk — that  hateful  old 
society  thing,"  said  Polly,  throwing  the  papers 
to  right  and  left.  "  You  know,  Phronsie;  it  has 
a  picture  of  a  bottle  of  ink,  and  a  big  quill  for  a 
heading.  O,  dear  !  do  help  me,  child,  for  she 
will  get  nervous  if  I  am  gone  long." 

"  Oh  !  I  know  where  that  is,"  said  Phronsie 
deliberately,  laying  a  cool  little  hand  on  Polly's 
hot  one. 

"  Where  ?  "  demanded  Polly  feverishly.  "  O, 
Phronsie  !  where  ?  " 

"Jack  Rutherford  has  it." 


240  NEW    WORK    FOR    POLLY. 

Polly  threw  down  the  papers,  and  started  for 
the  door. 

"  He  has  gone,"  said  Phronsie ;  "  he  went 
home  almost  an  hour  ago." 

Polly  turned  sharply  at  her.  "  What  did  he 
want  Town  Talk  for  ?  " 

"  He  said  it  was  big,  and  he  asked  Grand- 
papa if  he  might  have  it,  and  Grandpapa  said 
Yes.  I  don't  know  what  he  wanted  it  for,"  said 
Phronsie.  "  And  he  took  other  newspapers,  too, 
Polly  ;  oh  !  ever  so  many." 

"Wety  I  don't  care  how  many  he  took,  nor 
what  they  were,"  cried  Polly,  "  only  that  very 
identical  one.  O,  dear  me !  Well,  I'll  ask 
Jasper." 

And  rushing  from  the  library.  Phronsie  follow- 
ing in  a  small  panic  over  Polly's  distress,  she 
knocked  at  the  door  of  Jasper's  den,  a  little 
room  in  the  wing,  looking  out  on  the  east  lawn. 

"  Oh !  I  am  so  glad  you  are  here,"  she  exclaimed 
as  "  Come  in  ! "  greeted  her,  and  both  Phronsie 
and  she  precipitated  themselves  with  no  show 


NEW   WORK.    FOR    POLLY. 


241 


of  ceremony,  in  front  of  his  study  table.  "  O, 
Jasper !  could  you  get  me  a  copy  of  TownTalk  / 
Jack  Rutherford  has  gone  off  with  ours." 


"  O,  JASPER  !  COULD  YOU  GET  ME  A  COPY  OF  TOWN  TALK  ?  " 

"  Town  Talk"  repeated  Jasper,  raising  his 
head  from  his  hands  to  stare  at  her. 

"  Yes  ;  Jack  has  taken  ours  off  ;  Grandpapa 
gave  it  to  him.  Can  you,  Jasper?  Will  it 
break  up  your  study  much  ?  "  she  poured  out 
anxiously. 


242  NEW    WORK    FOR    POLLY. 

"No  —  that  is  —  never  mind,"  said  Jasper, 
pushing  the  book  away  and  springing  from  his 
chair.  "  But  whatever  in  the  world  do  you 
want  that  trash  for  ?  "  He  turned,  and  looked 
at  her  curiously. 

"  Mrs.  Chatterton  will  let  me  read  it  to  her ; 
she  said  so,"  cried  Polly,  clasping  her  hands 
nervously,  "  but  if  I  don't  get  the  paper  soon, 
why,  I'm  afraid  she'll  change  her  mind." 

Jasper  gave  a  low  whistle  as  he  flung  himself 
into  his  coat.  "  Inestimable  privilege  ! "  he 
exclaimed  at  last,  tossing  on  his  cap. 

"  O,  Jasper !  you  are  so  good,"  cried  Polly  in 
a  small  rapture.  "  I'm  so  sorry  to  have  to  ask 
you." 

"  I'll  go  for  you,  Jasper,"  declared  Phronsie  ; 
"  Mamsie  will  let  me,  I  almost  know  she  will." 

"  No,  no,  Phronsie,"  said  Jasper,  as  she  was 
flying  off ;  "  it  isn't  any  place  for  you  to  go  to. 
I  shall  get  one  at  the  hotel  —  the  Allibone. 
I'll  be  back  in  a  trice,  Polly." 

Polly  went  out,  and  sat  down  in  one  of  the 


NEW   WORK    FOR    POLLY.  243 

big  oaken  chairs  in  the  hall  to  seize  it  as  it 
came,  and  Phronsie  deposited  herself  in  an 
opposite  chair  and  watched  Polly.  And  pres- 
ently in  came  Jasper,  waving  the  desired  jour- 
nal. Polly,  with  a  beaming  face,  grasped  it  and 
rushed  off  upstairs. 

"  Polly,"  called  the  boy,  looking  after  her, 
"  it  isn't  too  late  now  for  you  to  go  with  them. 
Lucy  Bennett  met  me  at  the  corner  and  she  said 
they  will  take  the  twelve  o'clock  train,  instead 
of  the  eleven,  and  she  wanted  me  to  beg  you  to 
come." 

"  No,  no,"  tossed  back  Polly,  rushing  on,  "  I 
am  quite  determined  to  stay  at  home."  Then 
she  went  into  Mrs.  Chatterton's  room,  and  closed 
the  door.  But  she  couldn't  so  easily  shut  out 
the  longings  that  would  rise  in  her  heart  for  the 
Saturday  outing  that  the  other  girls  were  to 
have.  How  lovely  it  would  be  !  the  run  out 
to  Silvia  Home's  charming  home  some  ten  miles 
distant ;  the  elegant  luncheon  they  would  have, 
followed  by  games,  and  a  dance  in  the  ball-room 


244  NEW   WORK    FOR    POLLY. 

upstairs,  that  Silvia's  older  sisters  used  for  theii 
beautiful  parties.  Then  the  merry  return  before 
dusk,  of  the  twelve  girls,  all  capital  friends  at 
school !  Oh-oh  !  " 

"You've  been  an  unconscionable  time,"  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Chatterton  in  a  sharp,  high  key, 
"just  to  get  a  paper.  Well,  do  sit  down  ;  I  am 
quite  tired  waiting  for  you." 

Polly  sat  down,  and  resolutely  plunged  into 
the  column  where  the  news  items  promised  the 
most  plentiful  yield,  but  in  between  the  lines 
ran  the  doings  of  the  girls :  how  they  were  all 
assembling  by  this  time  at  Lucy  Bennett's  ;  how 
they  were  hurrying  off  to  the  train,  and  all  the 
other  delightful  movements  of  the  "  outing " 
flashed  before  her  eyes,  as  she  finished  item 
after  item  of  her  dreary  task.  But  how  Mrs. 
Chatterton  gloated  over  it ! 

At  last  Polly,  feeling  as  if  she  could  not  en- 
dure another  five  minutes  of  it,  glanced  up  to 
see  the  old  lady's  eyes  actually  sparkling;  her 
mouth  had  fallen  into  contented  curves,  and 


NEW   WORK    FOR    POLLY.  245 

the  jeweled  hand  resting  on  the  chair-arm  was 
playing  with  the  fringe,  while  she  leaned  for- 
ward that  she  might  not  lose  a  word. 

"  Read  that  again,  Polly,"  she  said,  "  the  list 
of  presents  exhibited  at  Arabella  Granger's 
wedding.  I  didn't  hear  any  mention  of  the 
Archibalds.  It  can't  be  that  they  have  fallen 
out ;  and  read  more  slowly." 

So  Polly  began  once  more  the  long  lists  of 
gifts  that  ushered  in  the  matrimonial  happi- 
ness of  Mrs.  John  Westover  nee  Miss  Arabella 
Granger ;  this  time,  however,  stimulated  by  the 
pleasure  she  was  giving,  to  find  it  an  endurable 
task. 

It  seemed  to  Polly  as  if  Mrs.  John  Westover 
had  everything  on  earth  given  to  her  that  could 
possibly  be  presented  at  a  wedding ;  neverthe- 
less the  list  was  gone  through  again  bravely, 
Polly  retracing  her  steps  two  or  three  times  to 
read  the  items  over  for  her  listener's  slow 
digestion. 

"  The  Archibalds  are  not  mentioned,  either 


246  NEW    WORK    FOR    POLLY. 

as  being  there  or  sending  a  gift,  nor  the  Har- 
lands,  nor  the  Smythes,  so  I  am  very  glad  I 
'  didn't  remember  her,"  said  Mrs.  Chatterton, 
drawing  herself  up  with  a  relieved  sigh.  "  Those 
presents  sound  fine  on  paper,  but  it  isn't  as  well 
as  she  might  have  done  if  she  had  made  a  dif- 
ferent match.  Now  something  else,  Polly,"  and 
she  dismissed  Mrs.  Westover  with  a  careless 
wave  of  her  hand.  Polly  flew  off  into  the 
fashion  hints,  and  was  immediately  lost  in 
the  whirl  of  coming  toilets.  No  one  noticed 
when  the  door  opened,  so  of  course  no  one 
saw  Mrs.  Whitney  standing  smiling  behind  the 
old  lady's  big  chair. 

"  Well,  Polly,"  said  a  pleasant  voice  suddenly. 

Down  went  Town  Talk  to  the  floor  as  Polly 
sprang  up  with  a  glad  cry,  and  Mrs.  Chatterton 
turned  around  nervously. 

"  O,  Auntie  —  Auntie  !  "  cried  Polly,  convul- 
sively clinging  to  her,  "  are  you  really  here,  and 
is  Dicky  home  ?" 

"  Dear  child,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney,  as  much  a 


NEW    WORK    FOR   POLLY.  247 

girl  for  the  moment  as  Polly  herself.  And 
pressing  kisses  on  the  red  lips,  while  she  folded 
her  close — "Yes,  Dick  is  home.  There,  go 
dnd  find  him ;  he  is  in  Mrs.  Pepper's  room." 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you  so  much  better,  Mrs. 
Chatterton,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney,  leaning  over 
the  invalid's  chair  to  lay  the  tenderest  of  palms 
on  the  hand  resting  on  the  chair-arm. 

"  O,  yes,  Marian  !  I  am  better,"  said  Mrs. 
Chatierton,  looking  around  for  Polly,  then  down 
at  the  delicious  Town  Talk  carelessly  thrown  on 
the  floor.  "Will  you  send  her  back  as  soon  as 
possible  ?  "  she  asked  with  her  old  imperative- 
ness. 

"Who— Polly?  "said  Mrs.  Whitney,  follow- 
ing the  glance.  "  Why,  she  has  gone  to  see 
Dick,  you  know.  Now,  why  cannot  I  read  a 
bit  ? "  and  she  picked  up  the  paper. 

"  You  don't  know  what  has  been  read,"  said 
Mrs.  Chatterton  as  Mrs.  Whitney  drew  up  a 
chair,  and  sat  down,  running  her  eye  in  a  prac- 
ticed way  over  the  front  page.  "  Dear  me, 


248  NEW   WORK    FOR    POLLY. 

it  makes  me  quite  nervous,  Marian,  to  see  you 
prowling  around  all  over  the  sheet  that  way." 

"  Oh !  I  shall  find  something  interesting  quite 
soon,'  I  fancy,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney  cheerfully, 
her  heart  on  her  boy  and  the  jolly  home-coming 
he  was  having.  "  Here  is  the  Washington  news  ; 
I  mean  all  about  the  receptions  and  teas." 

"  She  has  read  that,"  said  Mrs.  Chatterton. 

"  Now  for  the  fashion  department."  Mrs. 
Whitney  whirled  the  paper  over  dexterously. 
"  Do  you  know,  Mrs.  Chatterton,  gray  stuffs  are 
to  be  worn  more  than  ever  this  spring  ? " 

"  I  don't  care  about  that,"  said  Mrs.  Chatter- 
ton  quickly,  "  and  besides,  quite  likely  there'll 
be  a  complete  revolution  before  spring  really 
sets  in,  and  gray  stuffs  will  go  out.  Find  some 
description  of  tea  gowns,  can't  you?  I  must 
have  one  or  two  more." 

"And  here  are  some  wonderfully  pretty 
caps,  if  they  are  like  the  descriptions,"  said 
Mrs.  Whitney,  unluckily  dropping  on  another 
paragraph. 


NEW    WORK    FOR    POLLY.  249 

"  Caps  !  who  wants  to  hear  about  them  ? " 
cried  Mrs.  Chatterton  in  a  dudgeon.  "  I  hope 
I'm  not  to  the  cap  period  yet." 

"  Oh  !  those  lovely  little  lace  arrangements," 
said  Mrs.  Whitney  hastily ;  "  don't  you  know 
how  exquisite  they  are  at  Pinaud's  ?  "  she  cried. 

"  I'm  sure  I  never  noticed,"  said  Mrs.  Chat- 
terton indifferently.  "  Hortense  always  arranges 
my  hair  better  without  lace.  If  you  can't  find 
what  I  ask  you,  Marian,"  raising  her  voice  to  a 
higher  key,  "  you  needn't  trouble  to  read  at  all." 

Fortunately  the  description  of  the  gown  worn 
by  Lady  Hartly  Cavendish  at  a  London  high 
tea,  stood  out  in  bold  relief,  as  Mrs.  Whitney's 
eyes  nervously  ran  over  the  columns  again,  and 
she  seized  upon  it. 

But  in  just  two  moments  she  was  interrupted. 
"  Send  that  girl  back  again,  Marian,"  cried  Mrs. 
Chatterton.  "  I  had  just  got  her  trained  so  that 
she  suits  me.  It  tires  me  to  death  to  hear  you." 

"  I  do  not  know  whether  Polly  can  come  now," 
said  Mrs.  Whitney  gently;  "she"  — 


250  NEW    WORK    FOR    POLLY. 

"  Do  not  know  whether  Polly  can  come  ! " 
repeated  Mrs.  Chatterton  sharply,  and  leaning 
forward  in  her  chair.  "  Didn't  I  say  I  wanted 
her  ? " 

"  You  did."  Marian's  tone  did  not  lose  a 
note  of  its  ordinary  gentleness.  "  But  I  shall 
ask  her  if  she  is  willing  to  do  it  as  a  favosr, 
Mrs.  Chatterton  ;  you  quite  understand  that,  of 
course  ?"  She,  too,  leaned  forward  in  her  chair, 
and  gazed  into  the  cold,  hard  face. 

"  Just  like  your  father,"  cried  Mrs.  Chatter- 
ton,  settling  herself  irascibly  back  in  the  chair- 
depths  again.  "  There  is  no  hope  that  affairs 
in  this  house  will  mend.  I  wash  my  hands  of 
you." 

"  I  am  glad  that  you  consider  me  like  my 
father,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney  gleefully  as  a  child. 
"We  surely  are  united  on  this  question." 

"  May  I  read  some  more  ? "  cried  Polly, 
coming  in  softly,  and  trying  to  calm  the  im- 
petuous rush  of  delight  as  her  eyes  met  Mrs 
Whitney's. 


NEW    WORK    FOR    POLLY.  25 1 

"  Yes  ;  I  am  waiting  for  you,"  said  Mrs.  Chat- 
terton.  "  Begin  where  you  left  off." 

Mrs.  Whitney  bit  her  pretty  lips  and  slipped 
out  of  her  chair,  just  parsing  a  moment  to  lay 
her  hand  on  the  young  shoulder  as  she  passed, 
and  a  world  of  comfort  fell  upon  Polly,  shut  in 
once  more  to  her  dreary  task. 

"  How  perfectly  splendid  that  I  didn't  go  to 
Silvia  Home's  luncheon  party  now ! "  cried 
Polly's  heart  over  and  over  between  the  lines. 
"  If  I  had,  I  should  have  missed  dear  Auntie's 
home-coming,  and  Dicky's."  She  glanced  up 
with  luminous  eyes  as  she  whirled  the  sheet. 
Mrs.  Chatterton,  astonishing  as  it  may  seem, 
was  actually  smiling. 

"  It's  some  comfort  to  hear  you  read,"  she 
observed  with  a  sigh  of  enjoyment,  "  because 
you  enjoy  it  yourself.  I  wouldn't  give  a  fig  for 
anybody  to  try  to  do  it." 

Polly  felt  like  a  guilty  little  thing  to  take 
this  quietly,  and  she  eased  her  conscience  by 
being  more  glad  that  she  was  in  that  very  room 


252  NEW    WORK    FOR    POLLY. 

doing  that  very  task.  And  so  the  moments 
sped  on. 

Outside,  Dick  was  holding  high  revel  as  every 
one  revolved  around  him,  the  hero  of  the  coast- 
ing accident,  till  the  boy  ran  considerable  dan- 
ger from  all  the  attention  he  was  receiving.  But 
one  glance  and  a  smile  from  Mrs.  Whitney 
brought  him  back  to  himself. 

"  Don't  talk  any  more  about  it,"  he  cried  a 
trifle  impatiently.  "  I  was  a  muff  to  stick  on, 
when  I  knew  we  were  going  over.  Mamma, 
won't  you  stop  them  ?  "  ., 

And  she  did. 

"  Do  you  know,  Dicky  and  I  have  a  secret  to 
tell  all  of  you  good  people."  The  color  flew 
into  her  soft  cheek,  and  her  eyes  beamed. 

"  Really,  Marian,"  said  her  father,  whose 
hand  had  scarcely  ceased  patting  Dick's  brown 
head  since  the  boy's  home-coming,  "you've 
grown  young  in  Badgertown.  I  never  saw  you 
look  so  well  as  you  do  to-day." 

Mrs.  Whitney  laughed  and  tossed  him  a  gay 


NEW    WORK    FOR    POLLY  253 

little  smile,  that  carried  him  back  to  the  days 
when  Marian  King  stood  before  him  looking 
just  so. 

"  Now  listen,  father,  and  all  you  good  people, 
to  my  secret  —  Dicky's  and  mine ;  we  are  allowed 
to  tell  it  now.  Papa  Whitney  sailed  in  the  Ser- 
via,  and  he  ought  to  be  in  to-day !  " 

A  shout  of  joy  greeted  her  announcement. 
Polly,  off  in  her  prison,  could  hear  the  merry 
sounds,  and  her  happy  heart  echoed  them. 
The  misery  of  the  past  week  when  she  had 
been  bearing  an  unatoned  fault,  seemed  to 
drop  away  from  her  as  she  listened,  and  to 
say,  "  Life  holds  sunshine  yet." 

Then  a  hush  dropped  upon  the  gay  uproar. 
She  did  not  know  that  Dicky  was  proclaiming 
"  Yes,  and  he  is  never,  never  going  back  again. 
That  is,  unless  he  takes  mamma  and  me,  you 
know." 

Mrs.  Chatterton  turned  suddenly  upon  the 
young  figure. 

"Do  go!"     She  tossed   an  imperative  com 


254  NEW    WORK    FOR    POLLY. 

mand  with  her  jeweled  fingers.  "  You  have 
ceased  to  be  amusing  since  your  interest  is  all 
in  the  other  room  with  that  boy." 

Polly  dashed  the  newspaper  to  the  floor,  and 
rushing  impulsively  across  the  room,  threw  her- 
self, with  no  thought  for  the  consequences,  on 
her  knees  at  Mrs.  Chattertonrs  chair. 

"  Oh-oh  !  "  she  cried,  the  color  flying  up  to 
the  brown  waves  on  her  temples,  "  don't  send 
me  off ;  then  I  shall  know  you  never  will  forgive 
me." 

"  Get  up,  do  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Chatterton,  in 
disgust;  "you  are  crushing  my  gown,  and  besides 
I  hate  scenes." 

But  Polly  held  resolutely  to  the  chair-arm,  and 
never  took  her  brown  eyes  from  the  cold  face. 

"  I  must  say,  Polly  Pepper,"  cried  Mrs.  Chat- 
terton with  rising  anger,  "  you  are  the  most 
disagreeable  girl  that  I  ever  had  the  misfortune 
to  meet.  I,  for  one,  will  not  put  up  with  your 
constant  ebullitions  of  temper.  Go  out  of  this 
room  !  " 


NEW    WORK    FOR    POLLY.  255 

Polly  rose  slowly  and  drew  herself  up  with 
something  so  new  in  face  and  manner,  that  the 
old  lady  instinctively  put  up  her  eyeglass  and 
gazed  curiously  through  it,  as  one  would  look 
at  a  strange  animal. 

"  Humph  !  "  she  said  slowly  at  last,  "  well, 
what  do  you  want  to  say  ?  Speak  out,  and  then 
go." 

"  Nothing,"  said  Polly  in  a  low  voice,  but 
quite  distinctly,  "only  I  shall  not  trouble  you 
again,  Mrs.  Chatterton."  And  as  the  last  words 
were  spoken,  she  was  out  of  the  room. 

"  Pretty  doings  these !  "  Mr.  King,  by  a  dexter- 
ous movement,  succeeded  in  slipping  back  of  the 
portiere  folds  into  the  little  writing-room,  as  Polly 
rushed  out  through  the  other  doorway  into  the 
hall.  "  A  fortunate  thing  it  was  that  I  left  Dick, 
to  see  what  had  become  of  Polly.  Now,  Cousin 
Eunice,  you  move  from  my  house  !  "  and  descend- 
ing the  stairs,  he  called  determinedly,  "  Polly, 
Polly,  child  !  " 

Polly,  off  in  her  own  room  now,  heard  him. 


2$6  NEW    WORK    FOR    POLLY. 

and  for  the  first  time  in  her  life,  wished  she  need 
not  answer. 

"Polly  —  Polly!"  the  determined  call  rang 
down  the  passage,  causing  her  to  run  fast  with 
a  "  Yes,  Grandpapa,  I'm  coming." 

"  Now,  I  should  just  like  to  inquire,"  began 
Mr.  King,  taking  her  by  her  two  young  shoul- 
ders and  looking  down  into  the  flushed  face, 
"  what  she  has  been  saying  to  you." 

"O,  Grandpapa!"  down  went  Polly's  brown 
head,  "don't  make  me  tell.  Please  don't, 
Grandpapa  ! " 

"  I  shall !  "  declared  Mr.  King  ;  "  every  bles- 
sed word.  Now  begin  !  " 

"She  —  she  wanted  me  to  go  out  of  the 
room,"  said  Polly,  in  a  little  reluctant  gasp. 

"Indeed!"  snorted  Mr.  King.  "Well,  she 
will  soon  go  out  of  that  rooin.  Indeed,  I  might 
say,  out  of  the  house." 

"  O,  Grandpapa  !  "  exclaimed  Polly,  in  great 
distress,  and  raising  the  brown  eyes  —  he  was 
dismayed  to  find  them  filling  with  tears  — 


NEW    WORK    FOR    POLLY.  259 

"don't,  don't  send  her  away!  It  is  all  my 
fault ;  indeed  it  is,  Grandpapa  !  " 

"Your  fault,"  cried  Mr.  King  irately;  "you 
must  not  say  such  things,  child ;  that's  silly  ; 
you  don't  know  the  woman." 

"  Grandpapa,"  cried  Polly,  holding  back  the 
storm  of  tears  to  get  the  words  out,  "  I  never 
told  you — I  couldn't  —  but  I  said  perfectly 
dreadful  words  to  her  a  week  ago.  O,  Grand- 
papa !  I  did,  truly." 

"  That's  right,"  said  the  old  gentleman  in  a 
pleased  tone.  "What  were  they,  pray  tell? 
Let  us  know." 

"  O,  Grandpapa,  don't !  "  begged  Polly,  with 
a  shiver ;  "  I  want  to  forget  them." 

"  If  you  would  only  follow  them  up  with  more," 
said  Mr.  King  meditatively,  "but  when  it  comes 
to  tears,  she  must  march,  you  know." 

"  I  won't  cry,"  said  Polly,  swallowing  the 
lump  in  her  throat,  "  if  you  will  only  let  her 
stay." 

She  turned  to  him  such  a  distressed  and  white 


260  NEW    WORK    FOR    POLLY. 

face  that  Mr.  King  stood  perplexedly  looking 
down  at  her,  having  nothing  to  say. 

"  I'm  tired  of  her,"  at  last  he  said  ;  "  we  are 
all  tired  of  her ;  she  has  about  worn  us  out." 

"  Grandpapa,"  cried  Polly,  seeing  her  advan- 
tage in  his  hesitation,  "if  you  will  only  let  her 
stay,  I  never  will  beg  you  for  anything  again." 

"  Well,  then  she  goes,"  cried  Mr.  King 
shortly.  "  Goodness  me,  Polly,  if  you  are 
going  to  stop  asking  favors,  Cousin  Eunice 
marches  instanter !  " 

"Oh!  I'll  beg  and  tease  for  ever  so  many 
things,"  cried  Polly  radiantly,  her  color  coming 
back.  "  Will  you  let  her  stay,  Grandpapa  —  will 
you  ?  "  She  clasped  his  arm  tightly  and  would 
not  let  him  go. 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  King  slowly,  "I'll  think 
about  it,  Polly." 

"  Will  you  ?  "  cried  Polly.  "  Dear  Grand- 
papa, please  say  yes." 

Mr.  King  drew  a  long  breath.  "  Yes,"  he 
said  at  last. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

A    PIECE   OF    NEWS. 

COLLECT  the  whole  bunch  of  Peppers  and 
send  them  into  my  writing-room,  Marian." 
Old  Mr.  King  mounting  the  stairs,  turned  to  see 
that  his  command  was  heard. 

"  You  want  Mother  Pepper  too,  I  presume  ?  " 
said  Mrs.  Whitney,  pausing  at  the  foot. 

"  Mother  Pepper  ?  No,  indeed ;  the  last  per- 
son in  the  world  I  wish  to  see,"  cried  her  father 
irritably.  "  The  bunch  of  Pepper  children,  I 
want,  and  at  once  ;  see  that  they  all  report  to 
me  directly."  With  that  he  redoubled  his 
efforts  and  was  soon  at  the  top  of  the  long 
oaken  steps. 

Polly  and  Ben  closely  followed  by  Joel, 
David  and  Phronsie  soon  rushed  over  the  same 
261 


262  A    PIECE    OF    NEWS. 

ascending  thoroughfare,  and  presented  them- 
selves, flushed  and  panting,  at  the  writing-room 
door. 

"  Come  in,"  called  Mr.  King  from  within. 

"  Here  we  are,  sir,"  said  Ben,  spokesman  by 
virtue  of  being  the  eldest. 

"Yes,  yes,"  said  Mr.  King  nervously,  and 
turning  away  from  some  papers  he  was  fumbling 
to  occupy  the  waiting  moments.  "Well,  do  sit 
down,  all  of  you.  I  sent  for  you  to  have  a  talk 
about  something  that  you —  that  you  —  well,  do 
sit  down." 

So  all  the  Peppers  deposited  themselves  in 
various  resting-places ;  all  but  Joel.  He  im- 
mediately marched  up  to  the  old  gentleman's 
chair. 

"If  it's  good  news,"  he  said  abruptly,  "please 
let  us  have  it  right  this  minute.  But  if  it's  bad, 
why,"  a  gathering  alarm  stole  over  his  chubby 
countenance,  as  he  scanned  the  face  before 
him,  "  I'm  going  out-doors." 

"It's  good  or  bad  news  according  as  you  take 


A    PIECE    OF    NEWS.  263 

it,"  said  the  old  gentleman.  "  It  ought  to  be 
good.  But  there,"  pushing  back  his  chair  to 
look  at  the  row  of  anxious  figures  the  other  side 
of  the  table,  "do  sit  down  with  the  rest,  Joe, 
and  stop  staring  me  out  of  countenance." 

Polly  at  that,  pushed  a  chair  over  toward 
Joel,  who  persuading  himself  into  it,  sat  uncom- 
fortably perched  on  its  edge,  where  he  stared 
harder  than  ever. 

"  Hum  !  well,  children,  now  you  are  all  re- 
markably sensible  boys  and  girls.  Re-mar-kably 
sensible.  I've  always  said  so,  and  I  see  no 
reason  to  change  my  opinion  of  you  now.  And 
so,  although  at  first  my  news  may  not  be  quite 
to  your  liking,  why,  you'll  quickly  make  it  so, 
and  be  very  happy  about  it  in  the  end.  Hem  ! 
well,  did  you  ever  think  that  —  that  your  mother 
might  possibly  marry  again  ?" 

The  last  words  were  brought  out  so  abruptly, 
that  to  the  five  pairs  of  ears  strained  to  catch 
their  import,  it  seemed  as  if  the  news  had  shot 
by  harmlessly.  But  after  a  breathing  space  the 


264 


A    PIECE    OF    NEWS. 


dreadful  "marry," 
and  "  your  mother," 
came  back  to  them, 
bringing  the  sev- 
eral owners  of  the 
ears  out  of  their 
chairs  at  one  bound. 
"  Our  mother  !  " 
Ben  hoarsely  ex- 
claimed. 

"  Oh  !  how  can 
you  ?  "  cried  Polly 
passionately,  a  little-- 
white line  showing 
around  her  mouth, 
"say  such  perfect- 
ly dreadful  things, 
sir ! " 

Phronsie  clasped 
her  hands  in  silent 
terror,  and  raised  big  eyes  to  his  face.  David 
began  to  walk  helplessly  down  the  apart- 


<;COME    IN,"    CALLED    MR.    KING. 


A    PIECE    OF    NEWS.  265 

ment.  "  See  here !  "  said  Joel,  turning  to  the 
others,  "  wait  a  minute,  and  hold  on.  Perhaps 
it's  you,  sir,"  whirling  back  to  question  with 
piercing  eyes,  the  old  gentleman,  "  who's  going 
to  marry  our  mother.  Then  it's  all  right !  " 

"  Me  !  "  roared  the  old  gentleman.  "  Oh  ! 
bless  my  soul,  what  should  I  want  to  marry  for 
at  my  time  of  life  ?  Oh  !  my  goodness  me." 

His  distress  was  now  so  frightful  to  see,  that 
it  brought  the  Peppers  in  a  measure  out  of 
theirs ;  and  they  began  at  once  to  endeavor  to 
soothe  him. 

"Don't  —  oh!  don't,"  they  cried,  and  a  com- 
mon trouble  overwhelming  them,  they  rushed 
around  the  table,  seized  his  hands,  and  patted 
his  shoulders  and  hair.  "  Oh !  this  is  very 
dreadful,"  gasped  Polly,  "  but  don't  you  feel 
badly,  dear,  dear  Grandpapa." 

"  I  should  think  it  was,"  said  Mr.  King. 
"  Phronsie,  here,  child,  get  into  my  lap.  I'll 
come  to  myself  then.  There,  now,  that's  some- 
thing like,"  as  Phronsie,  with  a  low  cry,  hopped 


266  A    PIECE    OF    NEWS. 

into  her  usual  nest.  "  Now  perhaps  I  can  com- 
municate the  rest  of  my  news,  when  I  get  my 
breath." 

The  Peppers  held  theirs,  and  he  began  once 
more.  "  Now,  children,  it  isn't  in  the  course  of 
nature  for  such  a  fine  bright  woman  as  your 
mother  to  remain  single  the  rest  of  her  life  ; 
somebody  would  be  sure  to  come  and  carry  her 
off.  I'm  glad  it's  to  be  in  my  life-time,  for  now 
I  can  be  easy  in  my  mind,  and  feel  that  you 
have  a  protector  when  I  am  gone.  There, 
there,  we  won't  talk  about  that,"  as  the  young 
faces  turned  dark  with  sudden  pain,  while  Joel 
rushed  convulsively  to  the  window,  "  you  can 
see  how  I  feel  about  it." 

"  Are  you  glad  ? "  cried  Ben  hoarsely.  Polly 
for  her  life  could  not  speak.  The  whole  world 
seemed  turning  round,  and  sinking  beneath  her 
feet. 

"Yes,  I  am,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  "and 
it  won't  alter  the  existing  state  of  things,  for  he 
will  live  here  with  us,  and  things  will  be  just 


A    PIECE   OF    NEWS.  267 

the  same,  if  only  you  children  will  take  it 
rightly.  But  I've  no  doubt  you  will  in  the  end ; 
no  doubt  at  all,"  he  added,  brightening  up,  "for 
you  are  very  sensible  young  people.  I've  always 
said  so." 

"  Who  is  he  ?  "  The  dreadful  question  trem- 
bled on  all  the  lips;  but  no  one  asked  it.  See- 
ing this,  Mr.  King  broke  out,  "  Well,  now  of 
course  you  want  to  know  who  is  going  to  marry 
your  mother,  that  is,  if  you  are  willing.  For 
she  won't  have  him  unless  you  are  to  be  happy 
about  it.  Would  you  like  Dr.  Fisher  for  a 
father?" 

Joel  broke  away  from  the  window  with  a  howl, 
while  Polly  tumultuously  threw  herself  within 
the  kind  arms  encircling  Phronsie, 

"  Next  to  you,"  cried  the  boy,  "  why,  he's  a 
brick,  Dr.  Fisher  is  !  " 

"  Why  didn't  you  tell  us  before  that  it  was 
he  ? "  sobbed  Polly,  with  joyful  tears  running 
over  her  face.  Davie,  coming  out  of  his  gloomy 
walk,  turned  a  happy  face  towards  the  old  man's 


268  A    PIECE   OF    NEWS. 

chair,  while  Ben  said  something  to  himself  that 
sounded  like  "  Thank  God  !  " 

Phronsie  alone  remained  unmoved.  "What 
is  Dr.  Fisher  going  to  do?"  she  asked  presently, 
amid  the  chatter  that  now  broke  forth. 

"  He's  going  to  live  here,"  said  old  Mr.  King, 
looking  down  at  her,  and  smoothing  her  yellow 
hair.  "  Won't  that  be  nice,  Phronsie  ? " 

"Yes,"  said  Phronsie,  "it  will.  And  he'll 
bring  his  funny  old  gig,  won't  he,  and  I'll  drive 
sometimes,  I  suppose  ? "  she  added  with  great 
satisfaction. 

"Yes;  you  will,"  said  the  old  gentleman, 
winking  furiously  to  keep  back  the  excited  flow 
of  information  that  now  threatened  the  child, 
"  Well,  Phronsie,  you  love  Dr.  Fisher,  don't 
you  ? " 

"Yes,  I  do,"  said  the  child,  folding  her  hands 
in  her  lap,  "  love  him  very  much  indeed." 

"Well,  he's  going  to  be  your  father,"  com- 
municated Mr.  King,  cautiously  watching  her 
face  at  each  syllable. 


A    PIECE   OF    NEWS.  269 

"  O,  no!"  cried  Phronsie,  uhe  couldn't  be; 
he's  Dr.  Fisher."  She  laughed  softly  at  the 
idea.  "Why,  Grandpapa,  he  couldn't  be  my 
father." 

"  Listen,  Phronsie,"  and  Mr.  King  took  both 
her  hands  in  his,  "and  I'll  tell  you  all  about  it, 
so  that  you  will  understand.  Dr.  Fisher  loves 
your  mother ;  he  has  loved  her  for  many  years 
—  all  those  years  when  she  was  struggling  on 
in  the  little  brown  house.  But  he  couldn't  tell 
her  so,  because  he  had  others  depending  on 
him  for  support.  They  don't  need  him  now, 
and  as  soon  as  he  is  free,  he  comes  and  tells 
your  mother  and  me,  like  a  noble  good  man  as 
he  is,  all  about  it.  He's  a  gentleman,  children," 
he  declared,  turning  to  the  others,  "and  you  will 
be  glad  to  call  him  father." 

"I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  said  Phron- 
sie, with  puzzled  eyes.  "  Dear  Grandpapa, 
please  tell  me." 

"  Why,  he  is  going  to  marry  your  mother, 
child,  and  we  are  all  to  live  here  together  just 


270  A    PIECE   OF    NEWS. 

the  same,  and  everything  is  going  to  be  just  as 
happy  as  possible." 

Phronsie  gave  a  sharp  and  sudden  cry  of  dis- 
tress. "  But  Mamsie,  my  Mamsie  will  be  gone  ! " 
and  then  she  hid  her  face  in  the  old  gentleman's 
breast. 

"  O,  dear,  dear !  get  a  glass  of  water,  Polly," 
cried  Mr.  King,  "One  of  you  run  and  open 
the  window.  Phronsie,  Phronsie  —  there,  child, 
look  up  and  let  me  tell  you."  But  Phronsie 
burrowed  yet  deeper  in  the  protecting  nest, 
regardless  of  his  spotless  linen. 

"  Polly,  speak  to  her,"  he  cried  in  despair ; 
"  where  is  she  ?  gone  for  the  water  ?  O,  dear  ! 
Here,  Ben,  you  try.  Dear,  dear,  what  a  blun- 
derer I  am." 

"  Phronsie,"  said  Ben,  leaning  over  the  shak- 
ing figure,  "you  are  making  Grandpapa  sick." 

Up  came  Phronsie's  yellow  head.  "  O,  Grand- 
papa !  "  she  wailed,  putting  out  an  unsteady 
little  hand,  "  I  didn't  mean  to,  dear  Grandpapa, 
only  —  only  Mamsie  will  be  gone  now." 


A    PIECE    OF    NEWS.  271 

"'  Bless  your  heart,  you'll  have  Mamsie  more 
thAn  ever,"  cried  Mr.  King  heartily.  "  Here, 
you  children,  tell  her.  Polly,  we  don't  want 
the  water  now,  she's  come  to,"  as  Polly  came 
rushing  in  with  a  glassful.  "  Make  her  under- 
stand; I  can't." 

So  Polly,  setting  down  her  glass,  the  others 
crowding  around,  took  up  the  task  of  making 
the  piece  of  news  as  delightful  as  possible,  and 
presently  Phronsie  came  out  of  her  despair,  to 
ask  questions. 

"Are  you  really  and  truly  very  glad,  Polly?  '* 
she  asked  at  last,  in  a  lull. 

"  Really  and  truly  I  am  so  glad  I  don't  know 
what  to  do,"  said  Polly,  kneeling  down  by  the 
chair-side.  "  Don't  you  see  we  are  so  much 
the  richer,  Phronsie  ?  We  have  lost  nothing, 
and  we  gain  Dr.  Fisher.  Dear  splendid  Dr. 
Fisher ! " 

"  You've  always  wanted  to  repay  Dr.  Fisher 
for  his  kindness,"  said  Mr.  King,  "  and  now's 
your  chance,  Polly." 


272  A    PIECE    OF    NEWS. 

"I  guess  he'll  get  his  pay  back  for  his  stove," 
cried  Joel  in  a  burst;  "Polly  will  wait  on  him, 
and  kill  herself  doing  things  for  him." 

"  And  for  your  new  eyes,"  sang  Phronsie  in  a 
pleased  way.  "  O,  Polly  !  "  She  jumped  out  of 
the  old  gentleman's  lap,  and  began  to  dance 
around  the  room,  softly  clapping  her  hands  and 
exclaiming,  "O,  Polly!" 

"Well,  now,  children,"  said  Mr.  King,  as  the 
excitement  ran  low,  "you  just  run  and  tell  your 
mother,  every  one  of  you,  how  happy  she  will 
make  you  by  bringing  Dr.  Fisher  here  as  your 
father.  Scamper,  now  !  " 

No  need  to  urge  them.  On  the  wings  of  the 
wind  ran  the  five  Peppers  up  into  Mamsie's  own 
room.  Mrs.  Pepper  for  once  turning  aside  from 
the  claim  of  her  pressing  duties,  was  standing 
by  the  work  table.  Here  stood  the  mending 
basket  before  her,  piled  to  the  brim  with  the 
weekly  installment  of  stockings  big  and 'little, 
clamoring  for  attention.  But  the  usually  busy 
needle  lav  idle,  and  the  busier  hands  were 


A    PIECE   OF    NEWS.  273 

folded,  as  the  mother-heart  went  over  the  words 
she  knew  were  being  rehearsed  downstairs  by 
the  kind  friend  who  had  made  a  home  for  them. 
He  was  pleading  her  cause  with  her  children. 

"They  shall  be  happy,  anyway,"  she  said 
softly  to  herself,  "  bless  their  hearts ! "  as  they 
burst  in. 

•  "  Mother,"  said  Ben  —  How  the-  boy's  cheek 
glowed!  And  what  a  world  of  joy  rang  in  the 
usually  quiet  tones !  —  "we  want  to  thank  you 
for  giving  us  Dr.  Fisher  for  a  father." 

"  Mamsie,"  Polly  hid  her  happy  face  on  the 
dear  neck,  "I've  always  loved  him,  you  know; 
oh!  I'm  so  glad." 

Joel  whooped  out  something  incoherent,  but 
his  face  told  the  words,  while  Davie  clasped  one 
of  the  firm,  closely  folded  hands. 

"If  you'll  take  me  up  in  your  lap  as  much  as 
ever,"  said  Phronsie  deliberately,  and  patting 
the  other  hand,  "why,  I  shall  be  really  and  truly 
glad,  Mamsie." 

"  Bless  your  dear  heart !  "  cried  Mother  Pep- 


274  A    PIECE   OF    NEWS. 

per,  clasping  her  tightly,  "and  you  children,  all 
of  you,"  and  she  drew  them  all  within  her  arms. 
"  Now  I  want  you  to  understand,  once  for  all, 
that  it  isn't  to  be  unless  you  all  wish  it.  You 
are  sure  Mr.  King  hasn't  persuaded  you  to 
like  it?" 

"Look  at  us,"  cried  Ben,  throwing  back  his 
head  to  see  her  eyes.  "  Do  we  act  as  if  we  had 
been  talked  over?  " 

At  that,  Polly  burst  into  a  merry  laugh ;  and 
the  others  joining,  Mother  Pepper  laughing  as 
heartily  as  the  rest,  the  big  room  became  the 
jolliest  place  imaginable. 

"  No,  I  don't  really  think  you  do,"  said  Mrs. 
Pepper,  wiping  her  eyes. 

"  Dear  me  !  "  cried  Jasper,  putting  his  head 
in  the  doorway,  "  what  good  fun  is  going  on  ? 
I'm  not  going  to  be  left  out." 

"Come  in,  Jasper,"  they  all  called. 

"  And  we've  a  piece  of  news  that  will  make 
your  hair  stand  on  end,"  said  Joel  gayly. 

"Joe,  don't  announce  it  so,"  cried  Polly  in 


A    PIECE    OF    NEWS.  275 

dismay,  who  dearly  enjoyed  being  elegant 
"  Ben  must  tell  it,  he  is  the  oldest." 

"  No,  no ;  let  Polly,"  protested  Ben. 

"  Polly  shall,"  said  Jasper,  hurrying  in  to 
stand  the  picture  of  patience  before  the  group. 
"  Hurry,  do,  for  I  must  say  my  curiosity  is  hard 
to  keep  within  bounds." 

So  Polly  was  gently  pushed  into  the  center 
of  the  circle.  "  Go  on,"  said  Joel,  "  and  hurry 
up,  or  I  shall  tell  myself." 

"Jasper,"  said  Polly,  her  breath  coming  fast, 
"oh  !  you  can't  think  ;  we  are  so  glad  " —  But 
she  got  no  further,  for  Phronsie,  rushing  out  of 
Mother  Pepper's  arms,  piped  out  suddenly : 

"  Dr.  Fisher  is  coming  here  to  live  always 
and  forever,  and  I'm  going  to  ride  in  his  gig, 
and  Mamsie  likes  him,  and  I'm  going  to  call 
him  father  ;  now,  Jasper,  I  told  you  !  " 

"  I  should  think  you  did,"  exclaimed  Ben. 

"  Whew !  "  cried  Jasper,  "  that  is  a  piece  ot 
news  all  in  one  breath.  Well,  Mrs.  Pepper,  I'm 
gl ad  of  it,  too.  I  congratulate  you."  With  that, 


276  A    PIECE    OF    NEWS. 

he  marched  up  to  her,  Phronsie  hanging  to  his 
arm,  and  shook  her  hand  heartily. 

And  in  two  days  everybody  in  the  King  set 
knew  that  the  mother  of  the  five  little  Peppers 
was  going  to  be  married. 

"  I  should  think  you'd  want  to  be  condoled 
with,  Ben,"  said  Pickering  Dodge,  clapping  him 
on  the  shoulder  as  he  rushed  down  the  aisle 
of  the  store  occupied  by  Cabot  &  Van  Meter. 

"Halloo.!"  said  Ben,  "can't  stop,"  rushing 
past. 

"  I  suppose  not,"  said  Pickering  carelessly, 
and  striding  after,  "so  I'll  whisper  my  gentle 
congratulations  in  your  ear  'on  the  wing.'  But 
I'm  awfully  sorry  for  you,  Ben,"  he  added,  as  he 
came  up  to  him. 

"  You  needn't  be,"  said  Ben  brightly,  "  we 
are  all  as  glad  as  can  be." 

"Sweet  innocent,  you  don't  know  a  step- 
father," said  Pickering  lugubriously. 

"  I  know  Dr.  Fisher,"  said  Ben,  "  that's 
enough." 


A    PIECE    OF    NEWS.  277 

"Well,  when  you  want  comfort,  come  to  me," 
said  Pickering,  "or  to  uncle  !  " 

"  Don't  you  fill  Ben's  ears  with  your  foolish- 
ness," said  the  Senior  Partner,  coming  out  of 
ihe  counting-room.  "  Take  yourself  off,  Picker- 
ing ;  you're  hindering  Ben." 

Pickering  laughed.  "  I'm  caught  in  the  very 
act.  Now,  Ben,  remember  I'm  your  friend 
when  you  get  into  trouble  with  your  dear  pa. 
Good-by,  Uncle,':  with  a  bright  nod,  and  a  lazy 
shake  of  his  long  figure.  "Trade  always  de- 
moralizes me.  I'll  get  back  to  my  books,"  and 
he  vanished  as  quickly  as  he  came. 

"  Back  to  your  books,"  said  his  uncle  grimly, 
"  hum,  I  wish  you  would.  See  here,  Ben,"  he 
put  a  controlling  hand  on  the  boy's  shoulder, 
"  one  word  with  you."  marching  him  into  the 
private  office  of  the  firm.  "  Don't  you  follow 
Pickering  too  closely,  my  boy,"  he  said  abruptly; 
"  he's  a  good  lad  in  the  main,  but  if  he  is  my 
nephew,  I  must  give  you  warning.  He's  losing 
ground." 


278  A    PIECE   OF    NEWS. 

Ben  lifted  his  head  in  sudden  alarm.  "  Oh ! 
I  hope  not,  sir,"  he  said. 

"  It's  a  fact.  Master  Nelson  says  he  could 
be  first  scholar  in  the  grammar,  but  for  the  last 
six  months  he's  failed  steadily.  There's  no 
polytechnic  reason,  only  ambition's  gone.  And 
when  you  say  that,  you  mean  there's  a  general 
collapse  of  all  my  hopes  concerning  him." 

"  Oh !  no,  sir,"  Ben  kept  on  protesting,  his 
ruddy  cheek  losing  its  color.  "  He'll  take  hold 
by  and  by  and  give  a  pull  at  his  books  again." 

"  It  isn't  a  pull  now  and  then  that  gets  a  man 
up  hill,"  observed  Mr.  Cabot,  leaning  back  in 
his  revolving  chair  to  look  into  the  blue  eyes, 
"  that  you  know  as  well  as  I.  Now,  Ben,  I'm 
not  going  to  see  you  throw  away  your  prospects 
too.  Don't  let  him  influence  you  in  the  wrong 
way.  He's  bright  and  attractive,  but  don't  pay 
attention  to  his  ridicule  of  good  things." 

"  I've  a  mother,"  said  Ben  proudly,  "  and  I 
don't  believe  any  boy  could  say  much  to  me,  that 
I'd  think  of  twice,  if  she  didn't  like  it." 


A    PIECE    OF    NEWS.  279 

"  You  always  tell  her  everything,  do  you, 
Ben  ? "  asked  Mr.  Cabot  with  a  curious  glance. 

"  I  should  think  so,  sir,"  said  Ben,  with  a 
short  laugh. 

"  You'll  do,  then,"  said  Mr.  Cabot,  bringing 
his  palm  down  on  a  pile  of  unread  letters  await- 
ing him.  "Go  ahead.  I  don't  promise  any- 
thing, but  I  will  say  this.  If  you  work  on  as 
you  have  done  these  two  years  since  you  came 
in  here  as  errand  boy,  Ben,  I'll  make  you  a 
power  in  trTe  house.  Understand  I  don't  expect 
you  to  do  brilliant  things ;  that  isn't  in  your 
line.  You  will  be  a  success  only  as  a  steady, 
faithful  worker.  But  keep  at  it,  and  hang  on  to 
Cabot  &  Van  Meter,  and  we'll  hang  on  to  you." 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

MAMSIE'S  WEDDING. 

POLLY,"  said  Dr.  Fisher,  coming  suddenly 
out  of  a  corner  of  the  library  as  she  ran 
around  the  portiere  folds,  "you  are  sure  you  are 
willing —  are  willing  it  should  go  on  ?  " 

The  little  man  peered  at  her  anxiously  through 
his  big  glasses,  and  he  looked  so  exactly  as  he 
did  on  that  morning  so  long  ago  when  Polly's 
eyes  were  at  their  worst,  that  she  could  do  noth- 
ing but  gaze  speechlessly  into  his  face. 

"I  see  you  don't  consider  it  quite  best,  child," 
said  the  little  doctor  brokenly,  "  but  you  are 
trying  with  your  good  heart,  to  make  it  so. 
Don't  be  afraid  ;  it  is  not  too  late  to  end  it  all." 

"  I  was  thinking,"  cried  Polly  with  a  gasp, 
"  how  good  you  were  to  me,  when  you  saved 
280 


MAMSIE'S  WEDDING.  281 

my  eyes,  and  how  you  kept  Joel  from  dying  of 
the  measles.  Oh !  I  couldn't  speak  —  but  I 
love  you  so." 

She  threw  her  young  arms  around  him.  "  Papa 
Fisher —  for  you  are  almost  my  father  now —  I 
am  the  very,  very  happiest  girl  because  you  are 
going  to  live  here,  and  now  I  can  show  you  just 
how  much  I  really  and  truly  love  you." 

The  little  man  beamed  at  her.  Then  he  took 
off  his  spectacles,  wiped  them,  and  clapped 
them  into  place  again.  "You  see,  Polly,"  he 
said  deliberately,  "  it  was  impossible  to  see 
your  mother  and  not  love  her.  She  has  had  — 
well,  there,  child,  I  cannot  bear  to  talk  about  it," 
and  he  walked  to  the  window,  blew  his  nose 
violently  on  an  immense  pocket-handkerchief, 
leaving  the  words  poised  in  mid-air. 

"  It  was  the  greatest  trial  of  my  life  that  I 
couldn't  show  her  then  when  she  was  struggling 
so  bravely  to  keep  the  wolf  from  the  door,  how 
I  felt.  But  my  hands  were  tied,  child,"  he 
added,  coming  back,  his  usual  self  again.  "Now 


282  MAMSIE'S  WEDDING, 

I  can  make  her,  she  says,  happy,  that  is,  if  you 
children  like  it.  Just  think,  Polly,  she  said 
happy !  It's  stupendous,  but  she  said  so,  Polly, 
she  really  did  ! " 

He  folded  his  hands  and  looked  at  her  in 
astonishment,  behind  which  shone  an  intense 
gratification,  that  lighted  up  his  plain  little  face 
till  he  seemed  to  grow  young  every  instant. 

"Indeed  she  did!"  repeated  Polly  like  a  bird, 
and  laughing  merrily.  "  O,  Papa  Fisher !  you 
ought  to  hear  Mamsie  sing.  She  don't  know  I'm 
hearing  her,  but  she  sings  at  her  work  now." 

"  Does  she  ? "  cried  the  doctor  radiantly. 
"  Well,  Polly,  we  must  see  that  she  sings  every 
day,  after  this." 

"Yes,  let  us,"  cried  Polly,  clasping  his  hand; 
"  we  will." 

"  And,"  proceeded  the  doctor,  "  after  the 
wedding  is  over — I  really  dread  the  wedding, 
Polly — but  after  that  is  over,  I  do  believe  we 
shall  all  be  comfortable  together ! " 

Polly  gave  a  little  cry  of  delight.     Then  she 


said,  "  You  needn't  dread  the  wedding  one  bit, 
Papa  Fisher.  There  will  be  only  the  people 
that  we  love,  and  who  love  us  —  Grandpapa 
promised  that." 

"  But  that  will  make  it  very  big,"  said  Dr. 
Fisher,  with  round  eyes  and  a  small  shiver  he 
could  not  suppress. 

"O,  no!"  said  Polly  cheerily,  "sixty-five 
friends;  that's  all  we  are  going  to  ask;  Mamsie 
and  I  made  out  the  list  last  night." 

"  Sixty-five  people  !  "  exclaimed  Dr.  Fisher 
in  dismay.  "Oh!  isn't  it  possible  to  be  married 
without  sixty-five  friends  to  stare  at  you  ?  " 

"Oh!  that's  not  many,"  said  Polly;  "sixty- 
five  is  the  very  smallest  number  that  we  could 
manage.  We've  been  over  the  list  ever  so 
many  times,  and  struck  out  quantities  of  names. 
You  see,  everybody  loves  Mamsie,  and  they  all 
want  to  see  her  married." 

"I  know — I  know,"  assented  the  doctor, 
"  but  that  makes  one  hundred  and  thirty  eyes. 
Did  you  ever  think  of  that,  Polly  ?  " 


284  MAMSIE'S  WEDDING. 

Polly  burst  into  such  a  laugh  that  Jasper 
popped  in,  and  after  him,  Phronsie,  and  a  gen- 
eral hilarity  now  reigning,  the  dreaded  wedding 
preparations  soon  sank  away  from  the  doctor's 
perturbed  vision. 

But  they  went  on  merrily  nevertheless.  All 
over  the  old  stone  mansion  there  were  hints  of 
the  on-coming  festivities ;  and  though  all  signs 
of  it  were  tucked  away  from  the  little  doctor 
on  his  occasional  visits,  the  smothered  excite- 
ment flamed  afresh  immediately  his  departure 
became  an  assured  thing.  Everybody  had  the 
wildest  plans  for  the  occasion  ;  it  appearing  im- 
possible to  do  enough  for  the  one  who  had 
stood  at  the  helm  for  five  long  years,  and  who 
was  to  be  reigning  housekeeper  for  as  much 
longer  as  her  services  were  needed. 

And  Dr.  Fisher  never  knew  how  perilously 
near  he  had  been  to  the  verge  of  brilliant  even- 
ing festivities,  in  the  midst  of  which  he  was 
to  be  ushered  into  matrimony. 

For  Polly  had  suddenly  waked  one  morning, 


MAMSIE'S  WEDDING.  285 

to  find  herself,  not  "famous,"  but  alive  with 
the  sense  of  being  —  as  her  mother  had  so 
often  expressed  it  —  "  Mamsie's  little  right-hand 
woman/' 

"  It  will  be  much  better  to  have  everything 
plain,"  said  Polly,  communing  with  herself,  as 
she  turned  on  her  pillow.  "  Mamsie  has  always 
been  without  show,  of  any  kind,  and  so,"  but 
here  Polly's  heart  stood  still.  Dearly  she  loved 
the  bright,  conspicuous  accompaniments  to  the 
wedding  whereby  Mr.  King  was  determined  to 
show  his  respect  for  the  family  under  his  care. 
And  her  soul  secretly  longed  for  the  five  hun- 
dred guests  named  on  a  list  of  the  old  gentle- 
man's drawing  up.  And  the  feast  and  the 
lights,  and  the  pretty  dresses,  and  the  dancing 
party  for  the  young  people  to  follow.  For  Mr. 
King  had  announced  himself  as  about  to  usher 
in  the  brightest  of  days  for  the  young  Peppers 
to  remember. 

"  Beside  it  brings  our  new  physician  into 
notice,"  he  would  answer  when  any  faint  pro- 


286  MAMSIE'S  WEDDING. 

test  was  made.  "  And  we  shall  all  have  reason 
to  be  immensely  proud  of  him,  I  tell  you ! " 

"  O,  dear ! "  cried  Polly,  burrowing  deeper 
within  the  pillow  folds,  "  why  aren't  pleasant 
things  best  to  do  ?  Why,  I  wonder !  " 

Cherry,  twittering  in  the  window,  chirped  some- 
thing vague  and  unsatisfactory.  Polly  brought 
up  her  brown  head  suddenly  and  laughed. 

"  Nonsense !  our  happiness  doesn't  depend 
upon  a  lot  of  people  coming  together  to  help  it 
along.  Mamsie's  face  whenever  Grandpapa 
plans  all  this  magnificence,  is  enough  to  make 
me  feel  wretched  at  thought  of  it.  Dear  Mam- 
sie  !  she's  afraid  of  ingratitude  if  she  don't  try 
to  like  it.  She  shall  have  the  little  morning 
wedding  with  -a  few  people  around,  and  the  gray 
silk  gown  instead  of  the  lavender  one  Grand- 
papa wants  her  to  wear,  for  Mamsie  always 
knows  just  what  is  right." 

With  that,  Polly  sprang  out  of  bed,  and 
rushed  at  her  toilet,  and  after  breakfast  she 
quietly  captured  Mr.  King  on  the  edge  of  some 


MAMSIE'S  WEDDING. 


287 


other  extravagant  plan,  and  led  him  into  the 
library. 

"  Everything   is   going  on    finely,  Polly,"  he 


"EVERYTHING  is  GOING  ON  FINELY,  POLLY." 

cried  in  elation.  "  Ring  for  Thomas,  child ; 
stay,  I'll  do  it  myself.  I  shall  go  in  an  hour  to 
give  my  orders  for  the  wedding  supper." 


288  MAMSIE'S  WEDDING. 

"Grandpapa,"  cried  Polly,  turning  quite  pale, 
and  laying  a  quick,  detaining  hand  on  his  arm, 
"oh!  do  wait,  dear  Grandpapa,  I  have  some- 
thing to  say." 

"  Well,  child,"  but  he  still  retained  his  hand 
on  the  cord. 

"O,  Grandpapa!"  how  could  she  say  it! 
But  she  must.  "  Mamsie  will  be  ever  so  much 
happier  if  the  wedding  might  be  a  quiet  one. 
She  really  would,  Grandpapa." 

"  No  doubt  Mrs.  Pepper  finds  it  a  little  hard 
to  adjust  her  ideas  to  the  large  affair,"  said  the 
old  gentleman,  considerably  disturbed,  and  by 
no  means  relinquishing  the  bell-cord,  "but  it  is 
due  to  you  children  to  have  a  bright  time,  and 
I  must  see  that  you  all  have  it.  That  is  my 
affair,"  and  this  time  the  cord  was  pulled,  and 
the  bell  rang  a  loud,  insistent  message. 

Polly  stood  still  in  despair.  "Grandpapa," 
she  said  distinctly,  finding  it  hard  to  proceed, 
with  his  face  before  her,  "  we  children  do  not 
want  the  large  party  ;  that  is,  1  do  not. 


MAMSIE'S  WEDDING.  289 

It  was  all  out  at  last. 

"  Stuff  and  nonsense  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  King 
sharply,  for  his  surprise  was  too  great  to  allow 
of  composure,  "  who  has  been  putting  this  idea 
into  your  head  ?  Your  mother  couldn't  have 
done  it,  for  she  promised  it  should  all  be  as  you 
young  people  wanted." 

"  Mamsie  never  said  a  word,"  cried  Polly, 
recovering  herself  as  she  saw  a  chance  to  make 
things  right  for  Mother  Pepper;  "it  all  came  to 
me,  Grandpapa,  all  alone  by  myself.  Oh !  I 
hate  the  big  display,"  she  declared  with  sudden 
vehemence,  astonishing  herself  with  the  repul- 
sion that  now  seized  her. 

"  Hoity  toity !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  King,  "  it's 
not  quite  the  thing,  Polly,  my  child,  to  express 
yourself  so  decidedly,  considering  your  years." 

"Grandpapa,"  cried  Polly,  with  a  sudden  rush 
of  tears,  "  forgive  me,  do ;  I  did  not  mean  to  be 
so  naughty.  I  did  not,  dear  Grandpapa."  She 
looked  like  Phronsie  now,  and  the  old  gentle- 
man's heart  melted.  "  But  I  am  quite  sure  that 


2QO  MAMSIES    WEDDING. 

none  of  us  children  would  be  a  bit  happy  not  to 
have  it  as  Mamsie  would  like." 

"Well,  but  I  am  not  sure  that  the  others 
wouldn't  like  it,"  said  Mr.  King  persistently. 

"  Ben  wouldn't,"  said  Polly  triumphantly,  "  I 
know,  for  he  all  along  shrank  from  the  big 
party." 

"Oh  !  well,  Ben,  I  suppose,  would  object  some- 
what," conceded  the  old  gentleman  slowly. 

"  And  Davie,"  cried  Polly,  flushing  eagerly ; 
"  O,  Grandpapa  !  David  would  much  prefer  the 
morning  wedding  and  the  plain  things." 

"  But  how  about  Joel  and  Phronsie  ?  "  inter- 
rupted Mr.  King,  utterly  ignoring  Davie's  claims 
to  be  heard.  "  Ah  !  Polly,  my  dear,  until  you 
tell  me  that  they  will  prefer  to  give  up  the  fine 
party,  you  mustn't  expect  me  to  pay  any  atten- 
tion to  what  you  say.  It's  due  to  Phronsie  that 
your  mother's  wedding  is  a  thing  worthy  to 
remember  as  a  fine  affair." 

"  Perhaps  Joel  and  Phronsie  will  think  as  we 
do,"  said  Polly.  But  her  heart  said  No. 


MAMSIE  S    WEDDING.  2Q1 

"  All  right  if  they  do,"  said  Mr.  King  easily, 
"  but  unless  you  come  and  tell  me  it  is  their 
own  choice,  why,  I  shall  just  go  on  with  my 
plans  as  mapped  out,"  he  added  obstinately. 
"  Thomas,"  as  that  functionary  appeared  in  the 
doorway,  "  take  the  letters  to  the  post  at  once : 
you  will  find  them  on  my  writing  table." 

"  All  right,  sir." 

"  I'll  give  you  till  to-morrow  to  find  out,"  said 
Mr.  King.  "  Now  come  and  kiss  me,  Polly  dear. 
You'll  see  it's  all  right  after  it's  over,  and  be 
glad  I  had  the  sense  to  keep  my  mind  about  it." 

Polly  put  up  her  lips  obediently.  But  it  was 
a  sad  little  kiss  that  was  set  upon  his  mouth, 
and  it  left  him  feeling  like  a  criminal. 

And  running  out,  she  met  her  difficult  task 
without  a  moment  of  preparation. 

"  Halloo,  Polly ! "  whooped  Joel,  rushing 
around  an  angle  in  the  hall,  "  Grandpapa  prom- 
ised me  that  I  might  go  out  with  him,  to  give  the 
supper  orders,  and  all  that  kind  of  nonsense." 

Polly's  heart  stood  still. 


292  MAMSIE  S    WEDDING. 

"Joel,"  she  began,  seizing  his  jacket  with 
trembling  fingers,  "come  up  into  my  room  a 
minute." 

"  What's  up  ? "  cried  Joel  with  curiosity ; 
"some  more  mysteries?  There's  nothing  but 
whisperings,  and  secrets,  and  no  end  of  jolly  un- 
derstandings, ever  since  Mamsie  commenced  to 
marry  Dr.  Fisher.  Go  ahead,  I'll  come." 

"  And  Phronsie,  too,"  said  Polly,  seeing  the 
yellow  head  emerge  from  the  breakfast-room 
doorway. 

"Come  on,  Phron,"  sang  out  Joel,  "up  in 
Polly's  room  —  she  wants  you,"  and  the  three 
hurried  off. 

"  Now,  Joel,"  said  Polly,  closing  the  door  and 
facing  him  desperately,  "  you  are  Mamsie's  own 
boy." 

"I  should  think  so,"  said  Joel,  "  I'm  not  any- 
body's else.  Is  that  all  you  brought  me  up 
here  to  say  ?"  thrusting  his  hands  in  his  pockets 
and  looking  at  her. 

"  And  you  can  make  her  happy,  or  just  as 


MAMSIES    WEDDING.  293 

miserable  as  I  can't  say  what,"  went  on  Polly 
incoherently. 

"  What  in  the  world  are  you  firing  at  ? "  de- 
manded the  boy,  visions  of  certain  pranks  at 
school  unpleasantly  before  him.  "  Don't  shoot 
over  my  head,  Polly,  but  keep  somewhere  near 
your  mark,"  he  advised  irritably. 

Phronsie  surveyed  the  two  with  wide  eyes, 
and  a  not  wholly  pleased  manner. 

"  Mamsie  does  not  want  a  big  wedding,"  de- 
clared Polly,  going  to  the  heart  of  the  matter, 
"  but  dear  kind  Grandpapa  thinks  it  will  please 
us  children,  and  so  he  wants  to  give  her  one." 

"  And  so  it  will,"  cried  Joel,  "  please  us  chil- 
dren. Whoop  la!  give  us  your  hand,  Phronsie; 
this  is  the  way  we'll  dance  afterwards  at  the 
party." 

"  I  don't  want  to  dance,"  said  Phronsie, 
standing  quite  still  in  the  middle  of  the  room. 
The  morning  sun  shone  across  her  yellow  hair, 
but  no  light  came  into  the  large  eyes.  "  Polly 
wants  something,  first;  what  is  it,  Joel?" 


294  MAMSIE'S  WEDDING. 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know,"  said  Joel,  poised  on 
a  careless  foot,  and  executing  a  remarkable  pas 
seul.  "  I  don't  believe  she  knows  herself.  Polly 
is  often  queer,  you  know,  Phronsie,"  he  added 
cheerfully. 

"  Tell  me,  Polly,  do,"  whispered  Phronsie, 
going  over  to  her. 

"  Phronsie,"  said  Polly  very  slowly,  "  Mamsie 
don't  want  a  big  party  in  the  evening  to  see  her 
married,  but  to  have  a  cunning  little  company 
of  friends  come  in  the  morning,  and  "  — 

"  Ugh  !  "  cried  Joel  in  disgust,  coming  down 
suddenly  to  both  feet. 

"  It  will  please  Mamsie  best,"  went  on  Polly, 
with  a  cold  shoulder  to  Joel.  "  And  I  never 
should  be  happy  in  all  this  world  to  remember 
that  I  helped  make  my  Mamsie  unhappy  on  her 
wedding  day." 

Phronsie  shivered,  and  her  voice  held  a  mis- 
erable little  thrill  as  she  begged,  "Oh!  make 
her  be  married  just  as  she  wants  to  be,  Polly, 
da" 


MAMSIE  S    WEDDING.  297 

"  Now  that's  what  I  call  mean,"  cried  Joel  in 
a  loud,  vindictive  tone  back  of  Polly,  "  to  work 
on  Phronsie's  feelings.  You  can't  make  me  say 
I  don't  want  Mamsie  to  have  a  wedding  splurge, 
so  there,  Polly  Pepper  !  " 

Polly  preserved  a  dignified  silence,  and  pre- 
sented her  shoulder  again  to  his  view. 

"  You  can't  make  me  say  it,  Polly  Pepper !  " 
shouted  Joel  shrilly. 

"O,  Phronsie  !  "  exclaimed  Polly  in  a  rapture, 
throwing  her  arms  around  the  child,  "  Mamsie 
will  be  so  pleased — you  can't  think.  Let  us  go 
and  tell  her ;  come  ! " 

"  See  here  ! "  called  Joel,  edging  up,  "  why 
don't  you  talk  to  me  ? " 

"  I  haven't  anything  to  say,"  Polly  conde- 
scended to  give  him,  without  turning  her  head. 
"Come,  Phronsie,"  holding  out  her  hand. 

"  Wait  a  minute." 

"  Well,  what  is  it  ?  "  Polly's  hand  now  held 
Phronsie's,  but  she  paused  on  the  way  to  the 
door. 


298  MAMSIES    WEDDING. 

"  I  guess  I  can  give  up  things  as  well  as  she 
can,  if  I  know  Mamsie  wants  me  to,"  said  Joel, 
with  a  deeply  injured  manner. 

"  Mamsie  don't  want  any  of  us  to  give  up 
anything  unless  we  do  it  as  if  we  were  glad  to," 
said  Polly.  For  her  life,  she  couldn't  conceal 
a  little  scornful  note  in  her  voice,  and  Joel 
winced  miserably. 

"I  —  I  wish  she  wouldn't  have  the  big  party," 
he  whined. 

"  I  thought  you  wanted  it,"  said  Polly,  turn- 
ing to  him. 

"I  —  I  don't.  I'd  rather  Mamsie  would  be 
happy.  O,  dear !  don't  look  at  me  so." 

"  I'm  not  looking  at  you  so,"  said  Polly. 
"You  acted  just  as  if  you  had  your  heart  set  on 
the  party." 

"  Well,  it  isn't.  I'll  —  I'll  —  if  you  say  party 
to  me  again  !  "  and  he  faced  her  vindictively. 

"Joel  Pepper!"  cried  Polly,  holding  him 
with  her  brown  eyes,  "  do  you  really  mean  that 
you  are  glad  to  give  up  that  big  evening 


MAMSIE  S    WEDDING.  299 

party,  and  have  the  little  teenty  one  in  the 
morning  ? " 

"Yes,"  said  Joel,  "as  true  as  I  live  and 
breathe,  I  do !  " 

"  Oh  !  oh !  oh  !  "  cried  Polly,  and  seizing  his 
arm,  she  led  off  in  a  dance,  so  much  surpassing 
his  efforts,  that  Phronsie  screamed  with  delight 
to  see  them  go.  When  they  could  dance  no 
more,  Polly,  flushed  and  panting,  ran  out  of 
the  room,  leaving  the  two  to  find  out  as  best 
they  might,  the  cause  of  her  strange  demeanor. 

"  Grandpapa,"  Polly  rushing  over  the  stairs, 
met  him  coming  up  to  Mrs.  Whitney's  room, 
"Joel  says  it's  the  little  morning  wedding  — 
please  ;  and  Phronsie  too  ! " 

The  old  gentleman  gave  no  sign  of  his  defeat, 
beyond  a  "  Humph  !  and  so  I'm  beaten,  after 
all!" 

And  Dr.  Fisher  never  knew  all  this. 

Mamsie's  wedding-day !  At  last  it  came  ! 
Was  any  other  ever  so  bright  and  beautiful? 
Phronsie  thought  not,  and  thereupon  she  im- 


300  MAMSIE'S  WEDDING. 

peded  the  preparations  by  running  up  to  kiss 
her  mother  every  few  moments,  until  such  time 
as  Felicie  carried  her  off  to  induct  her  into  a 
white  muslin  gown.  Polly,  here,  there,  and 
everywhere,  was  in  such  a  rapture  that  shf 
seemed  to  float  on  wings,  while  the  boys  of  the 
household,  with  the  exception  of  Jasper,  lost 
their  heads  early  in  the  day,  and  helplessly  suc- 
cumbed to  all  demands  upon  them. 

Every  flower  had  to  be  put  in  place  by  the 
young  people.  Old  Turner  for  once  stood  one 
side.  And  Polly  must  put  the  white  satin  boxes 
filled  with  wedding  cake  on  the  little  table 
where  one  of  the  waiters  would  hand  them  to 
departing  guests.  And  Phronsie  must  fasten 
Mamsie's  pearl  brooch  —  the  gift  of  the  five 
little  Peppers  —  in  her  lace  collar  the  very  last 
thing.  And  Jasper  collected  the  rice  and  set 
the  basket  holding  it  safely  away  from  Joel's 
eager  fingers  till  such  time  as  they  could  shower 
the  bride's  carriage.  And  all  the  boys  were 
ushers,  even  little  Dick  coming  up  grandly  to 


MAMSIES    WEDDING.  301 

offer  his  arm  to  the  tallest  guest  as  it  hap- 
pened. 

And  old  Mr.  King  gave  the  bride  away ! 
And  Dr.  Fisher  at  the  last  forgot  all  the  one- 
hundred  and  thirty  eyes,  and  his  "  I  will,"  rang 
out  like  a  man's  who  has  secured  what  he  has 
long  wanted.  And  ever  so  many  of  the  guests 
said  "  What  a  good  father  he  will  make  the 
children,"  and  several  attempted  to  tell  the 
Peppers  so.  "  As  if  we  didn't  know  it  before," 
said  Joel  indignantly.. 

And  Alexia  and  aU  the  other  girls  of  Polly's 
set  were  there,  and  Joel's  little  blue  and  white 
creature  to  his  great  satisfaction,  came  with  her 
aunt,  who  was  quite  intimate  in  the  family;  and 
Pickering  Dodge  was  there  of  course,  and  the 
Alstynes,  and  hosts  of  others. 

And  Mother  Pepper  in  her  silver-gray  gown 
and  bonnet,  by  the  side  of  her  husband,  with 
Phronsie  clinging  to  one  hand,  heard  nothing 
but  heart-felt  wishes  for  her  happiness  and  that 
of  the  five  little  Peppers. 


302  MAMSIE'S  WEDDING. 

And  there  was  not  so  much  as  the  shadow  of 
a  skeleton  at  the  wedding  breakfast.  And 
Cousin  Mason  Whitney  took  charge  of  the 
toasts — and  everybody  felt  that  just  the  right 
things  had  been  said.  And  then  there  was  a 


_pi_J«p^ 


"WE'RE  GOING  TO  LET  HER  BE  HAPPY." 

nutter  of  departure  of  the  bridal  party,  and  in 
the  rattle  of  the  wheels  Phronsie  piped  out 
bravely  as  she  threw  the  slipper  after  the  de- 
parting coach  : 

"Mamsie  has  been  taking  care  of  us  all  these 
years  ;  now  we're  going  to  be  good  and  let  her 
be  happy." 


CHAPTER   XV. 

MRS.    CHATTERTON    HAS    A    NEW    PLAN. 

T)OLLY  is  learning  to  play  beautifully," 
mused  Phronsie,  nursing  one  foot  con- 
templatively, as  she  curled  up  on  the  floor. 
"  And  Ben  is  to  be  a  capital  business  man,  so 
Papa  Fisher  says,  and  Joel  is  going  to  buy  up 
this  whole  town  sometime,  and  Davie  knows 
ever  so  many  books  from  beginning  to  end,  but 
what  can  I  do  ? " 

Down  went  the  little  foot  to  the  floor,  and  the 
yellow  head  drooped  over  the  white  apron. 

"  Nothing,"  mourned  Phronsie,  "  just  nothing 
at  all ;  not  even  the  wee-est  teentiest  bit  of  any- 
thing do  I  know  how  to  do.  O,  dear  !  " 

Outside,  Jasper  was  calling  to  Prince.  Phron- 
sie could  hear  the  big  dog  rushing  over  the  lawn 
3°3 


304          MRS.    CHATTERTON    HAS    A    NEW    PLAN. 

in  response,  barking  furiously  as  he  went.  But 
she  did  not  move. 

"  And  Mamsie  will  never  be  glad  for  me, 
unless  I  learn  how  to  do  things  too.  If  I  don't 
hurry,  I  shall  never  be  grown  up." 

"  Tweet  —  tweet  —  chr-r-r  "  —  Cherry  in  his 
cage  over  her  head,  chirped  vigorously  by  way  of 
consolation,  but  Phronsie  did  not  lift  her  head. 
Cherry  seeing  all  his  efforts  in  vain,  stopped  his 
song  and  rolled  one  black  eye  down  at  her  in 
astonishment,  and  soon  became  quite  still. 

Presently  the  rustle  of  a  stiff  black  satin  gown 
became  the  chief  intruder  upon  the  silence.  It 
was  so  asserting,  that  Phronsie  lifted  her  head  to 
look  into  the  face  of  Mrs.  Chatterton,  standing 
before  her,  playing  with  the  rings  on  her  long 
white  hands,  and  regarding  her  as  if  she  would 
soon  require  an  explanation  of  such  strange 
conduct. 

"  What  are  you  doing,  Phronsie  ?  "  at  last 
demanded  the  lady. 

"  Thinking,"  said  Phronsie ;  and  she  laid  her 


MRS.    CHATl'liKTON    HAS    A    NEW    FLAN.          305 

chin  in  her  hand,  and  slowly  turned  her  gaze 
upon  the  thin,  disagreeable  face  before  her,  but 


"WHAT   ARE    YOU    DOING,    PHRONSIE?" 

not  as  if  in  the  slightest  degree  given  up  to  a 
study  of  its  lines  and  expression. 

"  So  I  perceive,"  said  Mrs.  Chatterton  harshly. 
"Well,  and  what  are  you  thinking  of,  pray  tell  ? " 

Still  Phronsie  looked  beyond  her,  and  it  was 


306  MRS.    CHATTERTON    HAS    A    NEW    PLAN. 

not  till  the  question  had  been  repeated  that  an 
answer  came. 

"Of  many  things,"  said  Phronsie,  "but  I  do 
not  think  I  ought  to  tell  you." 

"  And  why  not,  pray  ?  "  cried  the  lady,  with  a 
short  and  most  unpleasant  laugh. 

"  Because  I  do  not  think  you  would  under- 
stand them,"  said  Phronsie.  And  now  she 
looked  at  the  face  she  had  before  overlooked, 
with  a  deliberate  scrutiny  as  if  she  would  not 
need  to  repeat  the  attention. 

"  Indeed !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Chatterton  an- 
grily, "  and  pray  how  long  since  your  thoughts 
have  been  so  valuable?  " 

"  My  thoughts  are  nice  ones,"  said  Phronsie, 
slowly,  "  because  they  are  about  nice  people." 

"  Ah  !  " 

"  And  they  won't  tell  themselves.  And  I  ought 
not  to  make  them.  They  would  fly  away  then, 
and  I  should  never  find  them  again,  when  I 
wanted  to  think  them." 

"  Your  mother  brought  you  up  well,  I  must 


MRS.    CHATTKKI-OM    HAS    A    NKW    PLAN.          307 

say,"  observed  Mrs.  Chatterton,  deliberately 
drawing  up  a  chair  and  putting  her  long  figure 
within  it,  "  to  talk  in  this  style  to  a  lady  as  old 
as  I  am." 

Phronsie  allowed  one  foot  to  gently  trace  the 
pattern  on  the  carpet  before  she  answered.  "  I 
know  you  are  very  old,"  she  said  at  last,  "but  I 
cannot  tell  my  thoughts  to  you." 

"Very  old  !  "  cried  Mrs.  Chatterton,  her  chin 
in  the  air.  "  Indeed  !  well,  I  am  not,  I  would 
have  you  know,  Miss  Phronsie,"  and  she  played 
with  the  silk  cord  of  her  satin  wrapper.  "  I 
hate  a  child  that  is  made  a  prig ! "  she  added 
explosively  under  her  breath. 

Phronsie  made  no  reply,  being  already  deep 
in  her  own  calculations  once  more. 

"  Now,  Phronsie,"  said  Mrs.  Chatterton,  sud- 
denly drawing  herself  out  of  her  angry  fit,  and 
clearing  her  bro":,  "  I  want  you  to  give  your  at- 
tention to  me  a  moment,  for  I  have  something  I 
must  say  to  you.  That's  why  I  came  in  here,  to 
find  you  alone.  Come,  look  at  me,  child.  It 


308          MRS.    CHATTERTON    HAS    A    NKW    PLAN. 

isn't  polite  to  be  staring  at  the  carpet  all  the 
time." 

Phronsie  thus  admonished,  took  her  gaze  from 
the  floor,  to  bestow  it  on  the  face  above  her. 

"  It's  something  that  nobody  is  to  know  but 
just  you  and  I,"  began  Mrs.  Chatterton,  with  a 
cautious  glance  at  the  door.  Then  she  got  out 
of  her  chair,  and  going  across  the  room,  closed 
it  carefully.  "  There,  that's  better ;  Polly  is 
always  around.  Now  we  are  quite  alone,"  com- 
ing back  to  her  seat. 

"You  see,  Phronsie,"  she  proceeded,  not  car- 
ing that  the  brown  eyes  were  slowly  adding  to 
their  astonishment  an  expression  that  augured  ill 
for  any  plans  she  might  be  hoping  to  carry  out 
toward  propitiation.  "  It  is  necessary  to  be  care- 
ful not  to  be  overheard,  for  what  I  am  going  to 
say  to  you,  must  be  kept  quite  secret." 

"  I  must  tell  Mamsie,"  said  Phronsie  dis- 
tinctly. 

"  Indeed  you  will  not,"  declared  Mrs.  Chatter- 
ton.  "  She  is  the  verv  one  of  all  others  who 


MRS.    CHATTERTON    HAS    A    NKW    PLAN.          309 

• 

ought  not  to  know.  You  can  help  her, 
Phronsie,  if  you  only  keep  quiet." 

Phronsie's  eyes  now  became  so  very  large,  that 
Mrs.  Chatterton  hastened  to  add  : 

"  You  know  Polly  is  learning  to  be  a  music 
teacher  when  she  grows  up." 

Phronsie  made  no  reply. 

"  And  a  very  creditable  one  she  will  be,  from 
all  accounts  I  can  gather,"  contributed  Mrs. 
Chatterton  carelessly.  "  Well,  Ben  is  doing 
well  in  Cabot  &  Van  Meter's,  so  he's  no  trouble 
to  your  mother.  As  for  the  two  boys,  I  know 
nothing  about  them,  one  way  or  the  other.  But 
you,  as  you  are  a  girl,  and  the  only  one  not 
provided  for,  why,  I  shall  show  a  little  kind- 
ness in  your  direction.  It's  wholly  disinter- 
ested and  quixotic,  I  know,"  added  Mrs.  Chat- 
terton, with  a  sweeping  gaze  at  the  walls  and 
ceilings,  "for  me  to  give  myself  a  thought  about 
you  or  your  future.  And  I  shall  never  receive 
so  much  as  a  thank  you  for  it.  But  I've  passed 
all  my  life  in  thinking  of  others,  Phronsie,"  here 


310          MRS.    CHATTERTON    HAS    A    NEW    PLAN. 

she  brought  down  her  attention  to  the  absorbed 
little  countenance,  "  and  I  cannot  change  now," 
she  finished  pensively. 

A  silence  fell  upon  them,  so  great  that  Mrs. 
Chatterton  broke  it  nervously.  "  Goodness  me, 
Phronsie,  you  are  not  like  a  child ;  you  are  too 
uncanny  for  anything.  Why  don't  you  ask  ques- 
tions about  my  secret  ?  " 

"Because  I  ought  not  to  know  it,"  said  Phron- 
sie, finding  her  tongue. 

"  Haven't  I  told  you  that  you  will  help  your 
mother  only  by  not  telling  her  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Chat- 
terton. "  How  would  you  like  to  learn  how  to 
take  care  of  yourself  when  you  are  a  big  girl  ? " 

A  light  slowly  gathered  in  the  brown  eyes, 
becoming  at  last  so  joyous  and  assured,  that 
Mrs.  Chatterton's  face  dropped  its  hard  lines, 
to  lose  itself  in  a  gratified  smile. 

"  Now  you  make  me  see  some  real  hope  that 
my  scheme  won't  be  wholly  a  wild  piece  of  phil- 
anthropy," she  exclaimed.  "  Only  look  like  that, 
Phronsie,  and  I'll  do  anything  for  you." 


MRS.    CHATTERTON    HAS    A    NEW    PLAN.          311 

"  If  I  can  do  anything  for  Mamsie,"  cried 
Phronsie,  clasping  her  hands  in  rapture.  "Oh  ! 
do  tell  me,  dear  Mrs.  Chatterton,"  she  pleaded. 

"Oh!  now  I  am  dear  Mrs.  Chatterton,"  cried 
that  lady,  with  a  hard,  ill-favored  smile.  But  she 
lowered  her  tone  to  a  gentler  one,  and  extending 
one  jeweled  hand,  took  the  little  folded  ones  in 
her  clasp. 

"  I  will  be  a  good  friend  to  you,  and  show  you 
how  you  can  learn  to  do  something  so  that  when 
you  grow  up,  you  can  take  care  of  yourself,  just 
as  Polly  will.  Just  think,  Phronsie,  just  as  Polly 
will,"  cried  Mrs.  Chatterton  artfully. 

"  How  —  how  ? "  demanded  Phronsie,  scarcely 
breathing. 

"  Listen,  Phronsie.  Now  you  know  I  haven't 
any  little  girl." 

Phronsie  drew  a  long  breath. 

"  Well,  I  have  been  looking  for  one  for  a  long 
time.  I  want  one  who  will  be  a  daughter  to  me ; 
who  will  grow  up  under  my  direction,  and  who 
will  appreciate  what  I  sacrifice  in  taking  her. 


312          MRS.    CHATTERTON    HAS    A    NEW    PLAN. 

She  must  be  nice-looking,  for  I  couldn't  stand 
an  ill-favored  child.  I  have  found  several  who 
were  much  better  looking  than  you,  Phronsie  ; 
in  fact,  they  were  beauties  ;  but  I  didn't  like 
the  attitude  of  their  families.  The  poor  things 
actually  thought  they  were  doing  me  a  favor 
by  accepting  my  proposition  for  the  children." 

As  this  statement  required  no  remark  on  the 
part  of  the  hearer,  Phronsie  was  silent,  not 
removing  her  eyes  from  Mrs.  Chatterton's  face. 

"  Now,  although  you  haven't  as  much  to  recom- 
mend you  as  many  other  children  that  I  have 
fancied,  I  hope  to  make  you  serve  my  purpose. 
I  am  going  to  try  you,  at  least.  Every  day, 
Phronsie,  you  can  come  to  my  room.  It's  lucky 
that  you  don't  go  to  school,  but  do  pretty  much 
as  you  like  in  this  house,  so  no  questions  will  be 
asked." 

"  I  go  to  Grandpapa's  room  every  day,"  said 
Phronsie,  in  a  distressed  tone,  "to  my  lessons." 

"  Of  course.  I  know  that ;  a  very  silly  thing 
it  is  too.  There's  no  use  in  trying  to  break  it 


MRS.    CHATTERTON    HAS    A    NEW    PLAN.          313 

up  now,  I  suppose,  or  I'd  put  my  hand  to  the 
attempt.  But  you  can  come  to  me  after  you've 
got  through  toadying  Mr.  King." 

"  What  is  toding  ?  "  asked  Phronsie. 

"  Never  mind ;  that  hasn't  anything  to  do  with 
the  business  in  hand,"  replied  Mrs.  Chatterton 
impatiently.  "  Now  if  you  come  to  me  every 
day,  and  give  me  as  much  time  as  you  can,  why, 
I'll  show  )'ou  what  I  want  of  you,  and  teach  you 
many  things.  Then  after  a  while,  Phronsie,  when 
you  learn  to  appreciate  it,  I  shall  tell  you  what  I 
am  going  to  do.  The  adoption  will  be  an  easy 
matter,  I  fancy,  when  the  child  is  interested," 
she  added,  taking  the  precaution  to  mutter  it. 

"  You  must  do  everything  as  I  tell  you,"  Mrs. 
Chatterton  leaned  forward,  and  said  with  great 
deliberateness,  "else  you  will  lose  this  chance 
to  help  your  mother.  And  you  will  never  have 
another  like  it,  but  will  grow  up  to  be  a  good- 
for-nothing  little  thing  when  Polly  and  all  the 
rest  are  earning  money  for  your  Marnsie,  as  you 
call  her." 


314          MRS.    CHATTERTON    HAS    A    NEW    PLAN. 

"  I  shall  earn  money  too,"  declared  Phronsie 
on  a  high  note,  and  nodding  her  yellow  head  with 
great  decision. 

"  Never !  "  Mrs.  Chatterton  brought  her  foot, 
incased  in  its  black  satin  slipper,  down  with  force 
on  the  carpet.  "  You  will  never  earn  a  cent  of 
money  in  all  this  world,  unless  you  do  exactly  as 
1  say  ;  for  you  are  a  child  who  hasn't  it  in  her 
to  learn  anything.  But  you  can  help  me,  and  I 
shall  teach  you  many  things,  and  do  well  by 
you." 

"  When  I  grow  a  big  girl,  will  anybody  want 
me  to  do  those  things  that  you  are  going  to 
teach  me  ? "  asked  Phronsie,  drawing  near  to  lay 
her  hand  on  the  stiff  black  gown,  and  speaking 
earnestly.  "  Then  if  they  will,  I'll  try  to  do 
them  just  exactly  as  you  tell  me." 

"Of  course  they  will,"  declared  Mrs.  Chatter- 
ton  carefully,  edging  off  from  the  little  fingers ; 
u  ever  so  many  people  will  want  you,  Phronsie. 
And  I  shall  give  you  a  great  deal  of  money." 

"  I  shall  give  it  all  to  Mamsie,"  interrupted 


MRS.    CHATTERTON    HAS   A    NEW    PLAN.          315 

Phronsie,  her  brown  eyes  dilating  quickly,  "every 
single  twenty-five  cents  you  give  me.  Then  I 
guess  she  will  be  glad,  don't  you  ? "  she  cried, 
clasping  her  hands  in  sudden  rapture,  while  she 
began  to  dance  up  and  down. 

"  I  shall  give  you  so  many  twenty-five  cents," 
cried  Mrs.  Chatterton,  beginning  to  feel  her  old 
heart  beat  with  more  enthusiasm  than  she  had 
known  for  many  a  day,  "  that  you  will  be  very 
rich,  Phronsie." 

"  Oh-oh ! "  cried  Phronsie,  coming  to  an 
abrupt  pause  in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  her 
cheek  paling  in  excitement.  And  then  she 
could  say  no  more. 

"  But  you  must  do  exactly  as  I  tell  you." 
Mrs.  Chatterton  leaned  forward  suddenly,  and 
seized  the  little  hands,  now  so  still  in  their 
delight.  "  Remember,  it  is  only  when  you  fol- 
low my  commands  in  every  single  thing,  that  you 
will  have  any  chance  of  earning  all  this  money 
for  your  mother,  and  helping  her  just  as  Polly 
is  going  to  do.  Remember  now,  Phronsie  !  " 


316          MRS.    CHATTERTON    HAS    A    NEW    PLAN. 

"  I  will  remember,"  said  Phronsie  slowly,  as 
her  hands  were  released. 

"  Very  good.  We  will  begin  now  then."  Mrs. 
Chatterton  threw  herself  back  in  her  chair,  and 
drew  a  long  breath.  "  Lucky  I  found  the  child 
alone,  and  so  tractable.  It's  singularly  good  for- 
tune," she  muttered.  "Well,"  aloud,  with  a  light 
laugh,  "  now,  Phronsie,  if  you  are  going  to  be  your 
mother's  helper,  why,  this  is  your  first  duty.  Let 
us  see  how  well  you  perform  it.  Run  upstairs 
to  the  closet  out  of  the  lumber-room,  and  open 
the  little  black  box  on  the  shelf  in  front  of  the 
door  —  the  box  isn't  locked  —  and  bring  me  the 
roll  of  black  velvet  ribbon  you  will  find  there." 

Phronsie  was  about  to  ask,  "  Why  does  not 
Hortense  go  up  for  it  ? "  but  Mrs.  Chatterton 
forestalled  the  question  by  saying  with  a  frown. 
"  Hortense  has  gone  down  to  the  dressmaker's. 
No  child  who  calls  me  to  account  for  anything 
I  ask  of  her,  can  be  helped  by  me.  Do  as  you 
like,  Phronsie.  No  one  will  compel  you  to  learn 
how  to  do  things  so  that  you  can  be  a  comfort 


MRS.    CHATTERTON    HAS   A    NEW    PLAN.          317 

to  your  mother.  Only  remember,  if  you  don't 
obey  me,  you  will  lose  your  only  chance." 
After  this  speech,  Mrs.  Chatterton  sat  back 


"I'LL   GO,"   SAID    PHRONSIE,    WITH    A    LONG    SIGH. 

and  played  with  her  rings,  looking  with  oblique 
glances  of  cold  consideration  at  the  child. 

"  I'll  go,"  said  Phronsie  with  a  long  sigh,  "and 
do  every  thing  you  say." 

"  I  do  really  believe  I  can  bend  one  of  those 
dreadful  Pepper  children  to  my  will,"  thought 
Mrs.  Chatterton  exultingly.  "  She  is  my  only 
hope.  Polly  does  better  than  she  did,  but  she  is 


318          MRS.    CHATTERTON    HAS    A    NEW    PLAN. 

too  old  to  be  tractable,  and  she  has  a  shrewd  head 
on  her  practical  body,  and  the  others  are  just 
horrible  !  "  She  gave  a  shiver.  "  But  Phronsie 
will  grow  up  to  fit  my  purpose,  I  think.  Three 
purposes,  I  may  say  —  to  get  the  Peppers  grad- 
ually out  from  under  Horatio  King's  influence, 
and  to  train  up  a  girl  to  wait  on  me  so  that  I  can 
get  away  from  these  French  villains  of  maids, 
and  to  spite  Alexander's  daughter  by  finally 
adopting  this  Phronsie  if  she  suits  me.  But  I 
must  move  carefufly.  The  first  thing  is  to  get 
the  child  fastened  to  me  by  her  own  will." 

Phronsie,  ascending  the  stairs  to  the  lumber- 
room,  with  careful  deliberateness,  found  no  hint 
of  joy  at  the  prospect  before  her,  reaching  into 
the  dim  distance  to  that  enchanted  time  when 
she  should  be  grown  up.  But  there  was  a 
strangely  new  sense  of  responsibility,  born  in 
an  hour  ;  and  an  acceptance  of  life's  burdens, 
that  made  her  feel  very  old  and  wise. 

"  I  shall  be  a  comfort  to  my  mother,"  she  said 
confidently,  and  mounted  on. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

WHERE    IS    PHRONSIE  ? 

PHRONSIE  shut  the  door  of  the  lumber 
room,  and  with  a  great  sigh  realized  that 
she  had  with  her  own  hand  cut  herself  off  from 
the  gay  life  below  stairs. 

"  But  they  are  not  so  very  far  off,"  she  said, 
"  and  I  shall  soon  be  down  again,"  as  she  made 
her  way  across  the  room  and  opened  the  closet 
door. 

A  little  mouse  scurried  along  the  shelf  and 
dropped  to  the  floor.  Phronsie  peered  into  the 
darkness  within,  her  small  heart  beating  fear- 
fully as  she  held  the  knob  in  her  hand. 

"  There  may  be  more,"  she  said  irresolutely. 
"  I  suppose  he  wouldn't  live  up  here  all  alone. 
Please  go  away,  mousie,  and  let  me  get  the  box." 


320  WHERE    IS    PHRONSIE? 

For  answer  there  was  a  scratching  and  nibbling 
down  in  the  corner  that  held  more  terrors  for  the 
anxious  ears  than  an  invading  army. 

"  I  must  go  in,"  said  Phronsie,  "  and  bring 
out  the  box.  Please,  good  mouse,  go  away  for 
one  moment ;  then  you  may  come  back  and  stay 
all  day." 

But  the  shadowy  corner  only  gave  back  the 
renewed  efforts  of  the  sharp  little  teeth;  so  at 
last,  Phronsie,  plucking  up  courage,  stepped  in. 
The  door  swung  to  after  her,  giving  out  a  little 
click,  unnoticed  in  her  trepidation  as  she  picked 
her  way  carefully  along,  holding  her  red  gown 
away  from  any  chance  nibbles.  It  was  a  low 
narrow  closet,  unlighted  save  by  a  narrow  lat- 
ticed window,  in  the  ceiling,  for  the  most  part 
filled  with  two  lines  of  shelves  running  along 
the  side  and  one  end.  Phronsie  caught  her 
breath  as  she  went  in,  the  air  was  so  confined  ; 
and  stumbling  over  in  the  dim  light,  put  her 
hand  on  the  box  desired,  a  small  black  affair, 
easily  found,  as  it  was  the  only  one  there. 


WHERE    IS    PHRONSIE?  321 

"I  will  take  it  out  into  the  lumber-room;  then 
I  can  get  the  velvet  roll,"  and  gathering  it  up 
within  her  arms,  she  speedily  made  her  way 
back  to  the  door. 

"Why" — another  pull  at  the  knob;  but  with 
the  same  result,  and  Phronsie,  setting  the  box 
on  the  floor,  still  with  thoughts  only  of  the 
mouse,  set  both  hands  to  the  task  of  opening 
the  door. 

"  It  sticks,  I  suppose,  because  no  one  comes 
up  here  only  once  in  a  great  while,"  she  said* in 
a  puzzled  way.  "  I  ought  to  be  able  to  pull  it 
open,  I'm  sure,  for  I  am  so  big  and  strong." 
She  exerted  all  her  strength  till  her  face  was  like 
a  rose.  The  door  was  fast.  Phronsie  turned  a 
despairing  look  upon  the  shadowy  corner. 

"  Please  don't  bite  me,"  she  said,  the  large 
teajs  gathering  in  her  brown  eyes.  "  I  am 
locked  in  here  in  your  house ;  but  I  didn't  want 
to  come,  and  I  won't  do  anything  to  hurt  you  if 
you'll  let  me  sit  down  and  wait  till  somebody 
comes  to  let  me  out." 


322  WHERE    IS    PHRONSIE? 

Meanwhile  Mrs.  Chatterton  shook  out  her 
black  satin  gown  complacently,  and  with  a  satis- 
fied backward  glance  at  the  mirror,  sailed  off  to 
her  own  apartments. 

"  Madame,"  exclaimed  Hortense  breathlessly, 
meeting  her  within  the  door,  "  de  modiste  will 
not  send  de  gown  ;  you  must  "  — 

"  Will  not  send  it  ?  "  repeated  her  mistress  in 
a  passion.  "A  pretty  message  to  deliver.  Go 
back  and  get  it  at  once." 

"She  say  de  drapery  —  de  tournure  all  wrong, 
and  she  must  try  it  on  again,"  said  the  maid, 
glad  to  be  defiant,  since  the  dressmaker  sup- 
ported her. 

"  What  utter  nonsense !  Yet  I  suppose  I 
must  go,  or  the  silly  creature  will  have  it  ruined. 
Take  off  this  gown,  Hortense,  and  bring  my 
walking  suit,  then  ring  and  say  I'd  like  to  have 
Thomas  take  me  down  there  at  once,"  and  throw- 
ing off  her  bracelets,  and  the  various  buckles  and 
pins  that  confined  her  laces,  she  rapidly  dis- 
robed and  was  expeditions!}'  inducted  by  Hor- 


WHERE    IS    PHRONSIE?  325 

tense  into  her  walking  apparel,  and  a  parlor  maid 
announcing  that  Thomas  with  the  coupe  was  at 
the  door,  she  hurried  downstairs,  with  no  thought 
for  anything  beyond  a  hasty  last  charge  to  her 
maid. 

"  Where's  Phronsie  ? "  cried  Polly,  rushing  into 
Mother  Fisher's  room  ;  "oh!  dear  me,  my  hair 
won't  stay  straight,"  pushing  the  rebellious  waves 
out  of  her  eyes. 

"  It  looks  as  if  a  brush  wouldn't  do  it  any 
harm,"  observed  Mother  Fisher  critically. 

"  Oh,  dear,  dear !  well,  I've  brushed  and 
brushed,  but  it  does  no  good,"  said  Polly,  run- 
ning over  to  the  mirror,  "  some  days,  Mamsie, 
no  matter  what  I  do,  it  flies  all  ways." 

"  Good  work  tells  generally,"  said  her  mother, 
pausing  on  her  way  to  the  closet  for  a  closer 
inspection  of  her  and  her  head;  "you  haven't 
taken  as  much  pains,  Polly,  lately  with  your 
hair  ;  that  is  the  trouble." 

"  Well,  I'm  always  in  such  a  hurry,"  mourned 
Polly,  brushing  furiously  on  the  refractory  locks. 


326  WHERE    IS    PHRONSIE? 

"  There,  will  you  stay  down  ? "  to  a  particularly 
rebellious  wave. 

"One  at  a  time  is  the  best  way  to  take  things," 
said  Mrs.  Fisher  drily.  "When  you  dress  your- 
self, Polly,  I'd  put  my  mind  on  that,  if  I  were 
you." 

With  that,  she  disappeared  within  the  closet. 

"Oh,  dear,  I  suppose  so,"  sighed  Polly,  left  to 
her  own  reflections  and  brushing  away.  "Well, 
that's  the  best  I  can  make  it  look  now,  for  I 
can't  do  the  braid  over.  Where  is  Phronsie,  I 
wonder !  Mamsie,"  she  threw  down  the  brush, 
and  ran  over  to  put  her  head  in  the  closet, 
"where  did  she  go  ?" 

"  I  told  her  she  might  run  over  to  Helen 
Fargo's,  right  after  breakfast,"  said  Mrs.  Fisher, 
her  head  over  a  trunk,  from  which  she  was  tak- 
ing summer  dresses.  "  Polly,  I  think  you'll 
get  one  more  season's  wear  out  of  this  pink 
cambric." 

"Oh!  I  am  so  glad,"  cried  Polly,  "  for  I  had 
such  splendidly  good  times  in  it,"  with  a  fond 


WHERE    IS    PHRONSIE?  327 

glance  at  the  pink  folds  and  ruffles.  "  Well,  if 
Phronsie  is  over  at  Helen's,  there's  no  use  in 
asking  her  to  go  down  town  with  us." 

"  Where  are  you  going  ? "  asked  Mrs.  Fisher, 
extricating  one  of  Phronsie's  white  gowns  from 
its  winter  imprisonment. 

"  Down  to  Candace's,"  said  Polly.  "  Jasper 
wants  some  more  pins  for  his  qabinet.  No,  I 
don't  suppose  Phronsie  would  tear  herself  away 
from  Helen  for  all  the  down-towns  in  the  world." 

"  You  better  let  her  stay  where  she  is,"  advised 
Mother  Fisher ;  "  she  hasn't  been  over  to  Helen's 
for  quite  a  while,  so  it's  a  pity  to  call  her  away," 
and  she  turned  to  her  unpacking  again,  while 
Polly  ran  off  on  the  wings  of  the  wind,  in  a 
tremor  at  having  kept  Jasper  waiting  so  long. 

"  Candace  "  was  the  widow  of  an  old  colored 
servant  of  Mr.  King's ;  she  called  herself  a 
';  relict ;  "  that,  and  the  pride  in  her  little  shop, 
made  her  hold  her  turbaned  head  high  in  the 
air,  while  a  perennial  smile  enwreathed  her  round 
face. 


328  WHERE    IS    PHRONSIE? 

The  shop  was  on  Temple  Place,  a  narrow 
extension  thrown  out  from  one  of  the  city's 
thoroughfares.  She  was  known  for  a  few  special- 
ties ;  such  as  big  sugary  doughnuts  that  appealed 
alike  to  old  and  young.  They  were  always  fresh 
and  sweet ;  with  just  the  proper  amount  of  spice 
to  make  them  toothsome  ;  and  she  made  holders 
of  various  descriptions,  with  the  most  elaborate 
patterns  wrought  always  in  yellow  worsted  ;  with 
several  other  things  that  the  ladies  protested 
could  never  be  found  elsewhere.  Jasper  had 
been  accustomed  to  run  down  to  Candace's 
little  shop,  since  pinafore  days,  when  he  had 
been  taken  there  by  his  nurse,  and  set  upon  a 
high  stool  before  the  small  counter,  and  plied 
with  dainties  by  the  delighted  Candace. 

"  The  first  thing  I  can  remember,"  he  had 
often  told  Polly,  "  is  Candace  taking  out  huge 
red  and  white  peppermint  drops,  from  the  big 
glass  jar  in  the  window,  and  telling  me  to  hold 
out  both  hands." 

And   after  the  "  pinafore  days  "   were  over, 


WHERE    IS    PHRONSIE?  329 

Candace  was  the  boy's  helper  in  all  his  sports 
where  a  woman's  needle  could  stitch  him  out  of 
any  difficulty.  She  it  was  who  made  the  sails 
to  his  boats,  and  marvelous  skate  bags.  She 
embroidered  the  mpst  intricate  of  straps  for  his 
school-books,  and  once  she  horrified  him  com- 
pletely by  working  in  red  cotton,  large  "J's" 
on  two  handkerchiefs.  He  stifled  the  horror 
when  he  saw  her  delight  in  presenting  the  gift, 
and  afterwards  was  careful  to  remember  to  carry 
a  handkerchief  occasionally  when  on  an  errand 
to  the  shop. 

Latterly  Candace  was  occupied  in  preparing 
pins  for  Jasper's  cabinet,  out  of  old  needles 
that  had  lost  their  eyes.  She  cleverly  put  on  red 
and  black  sealing  wax  heads,  turning  them  out 
as  round  as  the  skillful  manipulation  of  deft 
fingers  could  possibly  make  them.  In  this  new 
employment,  the  boy  kept  her  well  occupied, 
many  half-dollars  thereby  finding  their  way  into 
her  little  till. 

"  I  wish  Phronsie  had  come,"  said  Polly,  as 


330  WHERE    IS    PHRONSIE? 

she  and  Jasper  sorted  the  pins  in  the  little 
wooden  tray  Candace  kept  for  the  purpose. 
"  How  many  red  ones  you  will  have,  Jasper 
—  see  —  fifteen;  well,  they're  prettier  than  the 
others." 

"  Ef  little  Miss  had  come  wid  .you,"  said 
Candace,  emerging  from  the  folds  of  a  chintz 
curtain  that  divided  the  shop  from  the  bedroom, 
"  she'd  a-seen  my  doll  I  made  for  her.  Land ! 
but  it's  a  beauty." 

"  O,  Candace  ! "  exclaimed  Polly,  dropping 
the  big  pin  she  held,  and  allowing  it  to  roll  off 
the  counter  to  the  floor.  "What  a  pity  we 
didn't  bring  her !  Do  let  us  see  the  doll." 

"  She's  a  perfec'  beauty  ! "  repeated  Candace 
in  satisfaction,  "  an'  I  done  made  her  all  myself 
fer  de  little  Miss,"  and  she  dodged  behind  the 
curtain  again,  this  time  bringing  out  a  large  rag 
doll  with  surprising  black  bead  eyes,  a  generous 
crop  of  wool  on  its  head,  and  a  red  worsted 
mouth. 

"  Dat's  my  own  hair,"  said  Candace,  pointing 


WHERE    IS    PHRONSIE  ? 


331 


to  the  doll's  head  with  pride,  "so  I  know  it's 
good;  an'  ain't  dat  mouf  pretty?" 

"  O,  Candace!"  exclaimed  Polly,  seizing  the 


"o,  CANDACE!"  EXCLAIMED  POLLY,  SEIZING  THE  DOLL. 

doll,  and  skillfully  evading  the  question,  "what 
a  lovely  dress  —  and  the  apron  is  a  dear — " 


332  WHERE    IS    PHRONSIE? 

"  Ain't  it  ? "  said  Candace,  her  black  face 
aglow  with  delight.  "  Ole  Miss  gimme  dat 
yeller  satin  long  ago,  w'en  I  be'longed  to  her 
befo'  de  war.  An'  dat  yere  apun  was  a  piece 
of  ole  Misses  night-cap.  She  used  to  have 
sights  of  'em,  and  dey  was  all  ruffled  like  to 
kill,  an'  made  o'  tambour  work." 

Polly  had  already  heard  many  times  the  story 
of  Madame  Carroll's  night-caps,  so  she  returned 
to  the  subject  of  the  doll's  beauty  as  a  desirable 
change. 

"  Do  you  want  us  to  take  this  to  Phronsie  ?  " 
she  asked.  "Jasper,  won't  she  be  delighted?" 

"Land,  no!"  cried  Candace,  recovering  the 
doll  in  alarm;  "  I'd  never  sleep  a  week  o'  nights 
ef  I  didn't  put  dat  yere  doll  into  dat  bressed 
child's  arms." 

"Then  I'll  tell  Phronsie  to  come  over  to- 
morrow," said  Polly.  "Shall  I,  Candace?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Candace,  "  you  tell  her  I  got 
somefin'  fer  her ;  don't  you  tell  her  what,  an' 
send  her  along." 


WHERE    IS    PHRONSIE?  333 

"All  right,"  said  Jasper.  "Just  imagine 
Phronsie's  eyes  when  she  sees  that  production. 
Candace,  you've  surpassed  yourself." 

"  You  go  'long  !  "  exclaimed  Candace,  in  de- 
light, and  bestowing  a  gentle  pat  of  depreca- 
tion on  his  shoulder,  "  'tain't  like  what  I  could 
do ;  but  la !  well,  you  send  de  bressed  chile  along, 
and  mabbe  she'll  like  it.!> 

"Jasper,  we'll  stop  at  Helen's  now,"  said  Polly 
as  the  two  hurried  by  the  tall  iron  fence,  that, 
lined  with  its  thick  hedge,  shut  out  the  Fargo 
estate  from  vulgar  eyes,  "  and  get  Phronsie ; 
she'll  be  ready  to  come  home  now ;  it's  nearly 
luncheon  time." 

"All  right,"  said  Jasper ;  so  the  two  ran  over 
the  carriage  drive  to  a  side  door  by  which  the 
King  family  always  had  entre'e. 

"  Is  Phronsie  ready  to  come  home  ?  "  asked 
Polly  of  the  maid.  "  Tell  her  to  hurry  and  get 
her  things  on  ;  we'll  wait  here.  O,  Jasper  !  " 
turning  to  him,  "  why  couldn't  we  have  the  club 
next  week,  Wednesday  night  ?  " 


334  WHERE    IS    PHRONSIE? 

"  Miss  Mary,"  said  the  maid,  interrupting, 
"  what  do  you  mean  ?  I  haven't  seen  Miss 
Phronsie  to-day." 

Polly  whirled  around  on  the  step  and  looked 
at  her. 

"  Oh  !  she's  upstairs  in  the  nursery,  playing 
with  Helen,  I  suppose.  Please  ask  her  to  hurry, 
Hannah." 

"  No,  she  isn't,  Miss  Mary,"  said  Hannah. 
"I've  been  sweeping  the  nursery  this  morning; 
just  got  through."  She  pointed  to  her  broom 
and  dustpan  that  she  had  set  in  a  convenient 
corner,  as  proof  of  her  statement. 

"Well,  she's  with  Helen  somewhere,"  said 
Polly,  a  little  impatiently. 

"  Yes  ;  find  Helen,  and  you  have  the  two," 
broke  in  Jasper.  "  Just  have  the  goodness, 
Hannah,  to  produce  Helen." 

"  Miss  Helen  isn't  home,"  said  Hannah.  "  She 
went  to  Greenpoint  yesterday  with  Mrs.  Fargo  to 
spend  Sunday." 

"  Why,"    exclaimed     Polly    in    bewilderment, 


WHERE    IS    PHRONSIE  ?  335 

"  Mamsie  said  she  told  Phronsie  right  after 
breakfast  that  she  could  come  over  here." 

"  She  hasn't  been  here,"  said  the  maid  posi- 
tively. "  I  know  for  certain  sure,  Miss  Mary. 
Has  she,  Jane  ? "  appealing  to  anothe-r  maid 
coming  down  the  hall. 

"No,"  said  Jane.  "She  hasn't  been  here  for 
ever  so  many  days." 

"  Phronsie  played  around  outside  probably," 
said  Jasper  quickly  ;  "  anyway,  she's  home  now. 
Come  on,  Polly.  She'll  run  out  to  meet  us." 

" O,  Jasper!  do  you  suppose  she  will?"  cried 
Polly,  unable  to  stifle  an  undefinable  dread. 
She  was  running  now  on  frightened  feet,  Jasper 
having  hard  work  to  keep  up  with  her,  and  the 
two  dashed  through  the  little  gate  in  the  hedge 
where  Phronsie  was  accustomed  to  let  herself 
through  on  the  only  walk  she  was  ever  allowed 
to  take  alone,  and  into  the  house  where  Polly 
cried  to  the  first  person  she  met,  "  Where's 
Phronsie  ?  "  to  be  met  with  what  she  dreaded, 
"  Gone  over  to  Helen  Fargo's." 


^36  WHERE    IS    PHRONSIE? 

And  now  there  was  indeed  alarm  through  the 
big  house.  Not  knowing  where  to  look,  each 
fell  in  the  other's  way,  quite  as  much  concerned 
•ror  Mr.  King's  well-being;  for  the  old  gentle- 
man was  reduced  to  such  a  state  by  the  fright, 
that  the  entire  household  had  all  they  could  do 
to  keep  him  in  bounds. 

"  Madame  is  not  to  come  home  to  luncheon," 
announced  Hortense  to  Mrs.  Whitney  in  the 
midst  of  the  excitement.  "  She  told  me  to  tell 
you  that  de  Mees  Taylor  met  her  at  de  modiste, 
and  took  her  home  with  her." 

Mrs.  Whitney  made  no  reply,  but  raised  her 
eyes  swollen  with  much  crying,  to  the  maid's 
face. 

"  Hortense,  run  as  quickly  as  possible  down 
to  Dr.  Fisher's  office,  and  tell  him  to  come 
home." 

"  Thomas  should  be  sent,"  said  Hortense,  with 
a.  toss  of  her  head.  "  It's  not  de  work  for  me. 
Beside  I  am  Madame's  maid." 

"Do  you  go  at  once,"  commanded  Mrs.  Whit- 


WHERE    IS    PHRONSIE?  337 

ney,  with  a  light  in  her  blue  eyes  that  the  maid 
never  remembered  seeing.  She  was  even  guilty 
of  stamping  her  pretty  foot  in  the  exigency,  and 
Hortense  slowly  gathered  herself  up. 

"  I  will  go,  Madame,"  with  the  air  of  con- 
ferring a  great  favor,  "  only  I  do  not  such  t'ings 
again." 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND. 

I  AM  glad  that  you  agree  with  me."  Mrs. 
Chatterton  bestowed  a  complacent  smile 
upon  the  company. 

"  But  we  don't  in  the  least  agree  with  you," 
said  Madam  Dyce,  her  stiff  brocade  rustling 
impatiently  in  the  effort  to  put  her  declaration 
before  the  others,  "  not  in  the  least." 

"  Ah  ?  Well,  you  must  allow  that  I  have  good 
opportunities  to  judge.  The  Pepper  entangle- 
ment can  be  explained  only  by  saying  that  my 
cousin's  mental  faculties  are  impaired." 

"  The  rest  of  the  family  are  afflicted  in  the 
same  way,  aren't  they  ? "  remarked  Hamilton 
Dyce  nonchalantly. 

"  Humph !  yes."  Mrs.  Chatterton's  still 
338 


PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND.  339 

shapely  shoulders  allowed  themselves  a  shrug 
intended  to  reveal  volumes.  "  What  Jasper 
Horatio  King  believes,  the  rest  of  the  house- 
hold accept  as  law  and  gospel.  But  it's  no 
less  infatuation." 

"  I'll  not  hear  one  word  involving  those  dear 
Peppers,"  cried  Madam  Dyce.  "  If  I  could,  I'd 
have  them  in  my  house.  And  it's  a  most 
unrighteous  piece  of  work,  in  my  opinion,  to 
endeavor  to  arouse  prejudice  against  them.  It 
quite  goes  to  my  heart  to  remember  their  strug- 
gles all  those  years." 

Mrs.  Chatterton  turned  on  her  with  venom. 
Was  all  the  world  arrayed  against  her,  to  take 
up  with  those  hateful  interlopers  in  her  cousin's 
home  ?  She  made  another  effort.  "  I  should 
have  credited  you  with  more  penetration  into 
motives  than  to  allow  yourself  to  be  deceived 
by  such  a  woman  as  Mrs.  Pepper." 

"  Do  give  her  the  name  that  belongs  to  her. 
I  believe  she's  Mrs.  Dr.  Fisher,  isn't  she  ? " 
drawled  Livingston  Bayley,  a  budding  youth, 


340  PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND. 

with  a  mustache  that  occasioned  him  much 
thought,  and  a  solitary  eyeglass. 

"  Stuff  and  nonsense  !  Yes,  what  an  absurd 
thing  that  wedding  was.  Did  anybody  ever 
hear  or  see  the  like  !  "  Mrs.  Chatterton  lifted 
her  long  jeweled  hands  in  derision,  but  as  no 
one  joined  in  the  laugh,  she  dropped  them 
slowly  into  her  lap. 

"  I  don't  see  any  food  for  scorn  in  that  epi- 
sode," said  the  youth  with  the  mustache. 
"  Possibly  there  will  be  another  marriage  there 
before  many  years.  I'm  sweet  on  Polly." 

Mrs.  Chatterton's  face  held  nothing  but  blank 
dismay.  The  rest  shouted. 

"  You  needn't  laugh,  you  people,"  said  the 
youth,  setting  his  eyeglass  straight,  "  that  girl 
is  going  to  make  a  sensation,  I  tell  you,  when 
she  comes  out.  I'm  going  to  secure  her 
early." 

"  Not  a  word,  mind  you,  about  Miss  Polly's 
preferences,"  laughed  Hamilton  Dyce  aside  to 
Miss  Mary. 


PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND.  341 

"  Tisn't  possible  that  she  could  be  anything 
but  fascinated,  of  course,"  Mary  laughed  back. 

"  Of  course  not.  The  callow  youth  knows 
his  power.  Anybody  else  in  favor  of  the  Pep- 
pers? "  aloud,  and  looking  at  the  company. 

"  Don't  ask  us  if  we  like  the  Peppers,"  cried 
two  young  ladies  simultaneously.  "They  are 
our  especial  and  particular  pets,  every  one  of 
them." 

"The  Peppers  win,"  said  Hamilton  Dyce, 
looking  full  into  Mrs.  Chatterton's  contemptuous 
face.  "  I'm  glad  to  record  my  humble  self  as 
their  admirer.  Now  "  — 

"  Well,  pa  !  "  Mary  could  not  refrain  from 
interrupting  as  her  father  suddenly  appeared  in 
the  doorway. 

"  I  can't  sit  down,"  he  said,  as  the  company 
made  way  for  him  to  join  them.  "  I  came  home 
for  some  important  papers.  I  suppose  you  have 
heard  the  trouble  at  the  Kings  ?  I  happened  to 
drop  in  there.  Well,  Dyce,"  laying  his  hand  on 
that  gentleman's  chair,  "  I  scarcely  expected  to 


342  PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND. 

see  you  here  to-day.  Why  aren't  you  at  the 
club  spread  ?  " 

"  Cousin  Horatio  !  I  suppose  he's  had  a  para- 
lytic attack,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Chatterton,  with 
her  most  sagacious  air. 

"  What's  the  trouble  up  there  ?  "  queried  Mr. 
Dyce,  ignoring  the  question  thrust  at  him. 

"  It's  the  little  beauty  —  Phronsie,"  said  Mr. 
Taylor. 

"  Nothing's  happened  to  that  child  I  hope  !  " 
cried  Madam  Dyce,  paling. 

"  Now,  Mr.  Taylor,  you  are  not  going  to 
harrow  our  feelings  by  telling  us  anything  has 
harmed  that  lovely  creature,"  exclaimed  the  two 
young  ladies  excitedly. 

"  Phronsie  can't  be  found,"  said  Mr.  Taylor. 

"  Can't  be  found  !  "  echoed  all  the  voices, 
except  Mrs.  Chatterton's.  She  ejaculated 
"  Ridiculous  !  " 

Hamilton  Dyce  sprang  to  his  feet  and  threw 
down  his  napkin.  "  Excuse  me,  Miss  Taylor. 
Come,  Bayley,  now  is  the  time  to  show  our 


PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND.  343 

devotion  to  the  family.  Let  us  go  and  help 
them  out  of  this." 

Young  Bayley  jumped  lightly  up  and  stroked 
his  mustache  like  a  man  of  affairs.  "  All 
right,  Dyce.  Bon  jour,  Miss  Taylor  and 
ladies." 

"  How  easily  a  scene  is  gotten  up,"  said  Mrs. 
Chatterton,  "over  a  naughty  little  runaway.  I 
wish  some  of  the  poor  people  in  this  town  could 
have  a  tithe  of  the  attention  that  is  wasted  on 
these  Peppers,"  she  added  virtuously. 

Madam  Dyce  turned  uneasily  in  her  seat,  and 
played  with  the  almonds  on  her  plate.  "  I 
think  we  do  best  to  reserve  our  judgments," 
she  said  coolly.  "  I  don't  believe  Phronsie  has 
run  away." 

"  Of  course  she  has,"  asserted  Mrs.  Chatter- 
ton,  in  that  positive  way  that  made  everybody 
hate  her  to  begin  with.  "  She  was  all  right  this 
morning  when  I  left  home.  Where  else  is  she, 
if  she  hasn't  run  away,  pray  tell  ? " 

Not   being  able   to  answer  this,  no  one   at- 


344  PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND. 

tempted  it,  and  the  meal  ended  in  an  uncom- 
fortable silence. 

Driving  home  a  half-hour  later,  in  a  cab  sum- 
moned for  that  purpose,  Mrs.  Chatterton  threw 
off  her  things,  angry  not  to  find  Hortense  at  her 
post  in  the  dressing-room,  where  she  had  been 
told  to  finish  a  piece  of  sewing,  and  not  caring 
to  encounter  any  of  the  family  in  their  present 
excitement,  she  determined  to  take  herself  off 
upstairs,  where  "  I  can  kill  two  birds  with  one 
stone  ;  get  rid  of  everybody,  and  find  my  box 
myself,  because  of  course  that  child  ran  away 
before  she  got  it." 

So  she  mounted  the  stairs  laboriously,  count- 
ing herself  lucky  indeed  in  finding  the  upper 
part  of  the  house  quite  deserted,  and  shutting 
the  lumber-room  door  when  she  was  well  within 
it,  she  proceeded  to  open  the  door  of  the  closet. 

"  Hortense  didn't  tell  me  there  was  a  spring 
lock  on  this  door,"  she  exclaimed,  with  an  im- 
patient pull.  "  Oh  !  good  heavens."  She  had 
nearly  stumbled  over  Phronsie  Pepper's  little 


PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND.  345 

body,  lyirfg  just  where  it  fell  when  hope  was 
lost. 

"  I  have  had  nothing  to  do  with  it,"  repeated 
Mrs.  Chatterton  to  herself,  following  Mr.  King 
and  Jasper  as  they  bore  Phronsie  downstairs, 
her  yellow  hair  floating  from  the  pallid  little 
face.  "Goodness!  I  haven't  had  such  a  shock 
in  years.  My  heart  is  going  quite  wildly. 
The  child  probably  went  up  there  for  something 
else :  I  am  not  supposed  to  know  anything 
about  it." 

"  Is  she  dead  ?  "  cried  Dick,  summoned  with 
the  rest  of  the  household  by  Mrs.  Chatterton's 
loud  screams,  and  quite  beside  himself,  he  clam- 
bered up  the  stairs  to  get  in  every  one's  way. 

Mrs.  Chatterton,  with  an  aimless  thrust  of  her 
long  jeweled  hands,  pushed  him  one  side. 
And  Dick  boiled  over  at  that. 

"  What  are  you  here  for?"  he  cried  savagely. 
"  You  don't  love  her.  You  would  better  get  out 
of  the  way."  And  no  one  thought  to  reprove 
him. 


346  PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND. 

Polly  was  clinging  to  the  post  at  the  foot  of 
the  stairs.  "  I  shall  die  if  Phronsie  is  dead," 
she  said.  Then  she  looked  at  Mother  Fisher, 
waiting  for  her  baby. 

"  Give  her  to  me  !  "  said  Phronsie's  mother, 
holding  out  imperative  arms. 

"You  would  better  let  us  carry  her  ;  we'll  put 
her  in  your  bed.  Only  get  the  doctor."  Mr. 
King  was  almost  harsh  as  he  endeavored  to  pass 
her.  But  before  the  words  weje  over  his  lips, 
the  mother  held  her  baby. 

"  Mamsie,"  cried  Polly,  creeping  over  to  her 
like  a  hurt  little  thing,  "  I  don't  believe  but  what 
she'll  be  all  right.  God  won't  let  anything  hap- 
pen to  our  Phronsie.  He  couldn't,  Mamsie." 

Dr.  Fisher  met  them  at  the  door.  Polly  never 
forgot  the  long,  slow  terror  that  clutched  at  her 
heart  as  she  scanned  his  face  while  he  took  the 
child  out  of  the  arms  that  now  yielded  up  their 
burden.  And  everything  turned  dark  before 
her  eyes  —  Was  Phronsie  dead  ? 

But  there  was  Mamsie.     And   Polly  caught 


PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND.  349 

her  breath,  beat  back  the  faintness  and  helped 
to  lay  Phronsie  on  the  big  bed. 

"  Clearly  I  have  had  nothing  to  do  with  it," 
said  Mrs.  Chatterton  to  herself,  stumbling  into 
a  room  at  the  other  end  of  the  hall.  But  her  face 
was  gray,  and  she  found  herself  picking  ner- 
vously at  the  folds  of  lace  on  her  throat.  "  The 
child  went  up  there,  as  all  children  will,  to  ex- 
plore. I  shall  say  nothing  about  it  —  nothing 
whatever.  Oh  !  how  is  she  ? "  grasping  blindly 
at  Jasper  as  he  rushed  by  the  door. 

"  Still  unconscious  "  — 

"  Stuff  and  —  oh  !  well,"  muttering  on.  "  She'll 
probably  come  to.  Children  can  bear  a  little 
confinement ;  an  hour  or  two  don't  matter  with 
them  —  Hortense  ! "  aloud,  "  bring  me  my  sal 
volatile.  Dear  me !  this  is  telling  on  my 
nerves."  She  caught  sight  of  her  face  in  the 
long  mirror  opposite,  and  shivered  to  see  how 
ghastly  it  was.  "  Where  is  that  girl  ?  Hor- 
tense, I  say,  come  here  this  instant !  " 

A  maid,  summoned  by  her  cries,  put  her  head 


350  PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND. 

in  the  door.  "  Hadn't  you  better  go  into  yovu 
own  room,  Mrs.  Chatterton  ? "  she  said,  in  pity  at 
the  shaking  figure  and  blanched  face. 

"No — no,"  she  sharply  repulsed  her. 
"  Bring  Hortense  —  where  is  that  girl  ?  "  she  de- 
manded passionately. 

"  She's  crying,"  said  the  maid,  her  own  eyes 
filling  with  tears.  "  I'll  help  you  to  your  room." 

"Crying?"  Madam  Chatterton  shrieked. 
"  She's  paid  to  take  care  of  me  ;  what  right 
has  she  to  think  of  anything  else  ?" 

"  She  says  she  was  cross  to  Phronsie  once  — 
though  I  don't  see  how  she  could  be,  and  —  and 
—  now  that  she's  going  to  die,  she  "  —  and  the 
maid  burst  into  tears  and  threw  her  apron  over 
her  face. 

"Die  —  she  sha'n't !  What  utter  nonsense 
everybody  does  talk  in  this  house  !  "  Madam 
Chatterton  seized  her  arm,  the  slender  fingers 
tightening  around  the  young  muscles,  and  shook 
her  fiercely. 

The  maid  roused  by  her  pain  out  of  her  tears 


PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND.  351 

looked  in  affright  into  the  gray  face  above 
her.  "  Let  me  go,"  she  cried.  "  Oh  !  madam, 
you  hurt  me." 

"  Give  me  air,"  said  Madam  Chatterton,  her 
fingers  relaxing,  and  making  agreat  effort  not  to 
fall.  "  Help  me  over  to  the  window,  and  open 
it,  girl  "  —  and  leaning  heavily  on  the  slight  fig- 
ure, she  managed  to  get  across  the  room. 

"  There  —  now,"  drawing  a  heavy  breath  as 
she  sank  into  a  chair  and  thrust  her  ashen 
face  out  over  the  sill,  "  do  you  go  and  find  out 
how  the  child  is.  And  come  back  and  tell  me 
at  once." 

"  Madam,  I'm  afraid  to  leave  you  alone,"  said 
the  girl,  looking  at  her. 

"  Afraid  ?  I'm  not  so  old  but  that  I  can  take 
care  of  myself,"  said  Mrs.  Chatterton  with  a 
short  laugh.  '  "  Go  and  do  as  I  tell  you,"  stamp- 
ing her  foot. 

"Still  unconscious"  — 

Would  no  one  ever  come  near  her  but  this  de- 
testable maid,  with  her  still  more  detestable 


352  PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND. 

news  ?  Mrs.  Chatterton  clutched  the  window 
casing  in  her  extremity,  not  feeling  the  soft 
springy  air  as  she  gasped  for  breath.  The  maid, 
too  frightened  to  leave  her,  crept  into  a  corner 
where  she  watched  and  cried  softly. 

There  was  a  stir  in  the  household  that  they 
might  have  heard,  betokening  the  arrival  of  two 
other  doctors,  but  no  word  came.  And  darkness 
settled  upon  the  room.  Still  the  figure  in  the 
window  niche  held  to  its  support,  and  still  the 
maid  cried  at  her  post. 

As  the  gray  of  the  twilight  settled  over  the 
old  stone  mansion,  Phronsie  moved  on  her 
pillow. 

"  Dear  mouse,"  —  the  circle  of  watchers 
around  the  bed  moved  closer,  —  "  I'll  go  away 
when  some  one  comes  to  open  the  door." 

"  Hush  ! "  Dr.  Fisher  put  his  hand  over  the 
mother's  lips. 

"  Don't  please  bite  me  very  hard.  I  won't 
come  up  again  to  your  house.  Oh !  where 's 
Grandpapa? " 


PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND.  353 

Old  Mr.  King  put  his  head  on  his  hands,  and 
sobbed  aloud. 

The  little  white  face  moved  uneasily. 

"  Grandpapa  always  comes  when  I  want  him," 
in  piteous  tones. 

"  Father,"  said  Jasper,  laying  a  hand  on  the 
bowed  shoulders,  "  you  would  better  come  out. 
We'll  call  you  when  she  comes  to  herself." 

But  Mr.  King  gave  no  sign  of  hearing. 

A  half-hour  ticked  slowly  away,  and  Phronsie 
spoke  again.  "  It's  growing  dark,  and  I  sup- 
pose they  will  never  come.  Dear  mouse"  — 
The  words  died  away  and  she  seemed  to  sleep. 

"  I  shall  not  tell,"  Mrs.  Chatterton  was  saying 
to  herself  in  the  other  room  ;  "  what  good  could 
it  do?  Oh!  this  vile  air  is  stifling.  Will  no 
one  come  to  say  she  is  better?"  And  so  the 
night  wore  on. 

As  morning  broke,  Phronsie  opened  her  eyes, 
and  gave  a  weak  little  cry.  Polly  sprang  from 
her  knees  at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  and  staggered 
toward  the  child. 


354  PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND. 

"  Don't !  "  cried  Jasper,  with  a  hand  on  her 
arm. 

"  Let  her  alone,"  said  Dr.  Fisher  quickly. 

"  O,  Polly  ! "  Phronsie  raised  herself  convul- 
sively on  the  bed.  "  You  did  come  — you  did  !  " 
winding  her  little  arms  around  Polly's  neck. 
"  Has  the  mouse  gone  ? " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  Polly  as  convulsively  ;  "  he's 
all  gone,  Phronsie,  and  I  have  you  fast ;  just 
see.  And  I'll  never  let  you  go  again." 

"Never?"  cried  Phronsie,  straining  to  get  up 
further  into  Polly's  arms. 

"  No,  dear ;  I'll  hold  you  close  just  as  long  as 
you  need  me." 

"  And  he  won't  come  again  ? " 

"  He  can't,  Phronsie  ;  because,  you  see,  I  have 
you  now." 

"And  the  door  will  open,  and  I'll  have  Mamsie 
and  dear  Grandpapa  ?  " 

"Yes,  yes,  my  precious  one,"  began  Mr.  King, 
getting  out  of  the  large  arm-chair  into  which  they 
had  persuaded  him. 


PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND.  355 

"  Don't  do  it.  Stay  where  you  are,"  said  Dr. 
Fisher,  stopping  him  half-way  across  the  room. 

"  But  Phronsie  wants  me ;  she  said  so,"  ex- 
claimed old  Mr.  King  hoarsely,  and  trying  to 
push  his  way  past  the  doctor.  "  Why,  man, 
don't  stop  me." 

Dr.  Fisher  planted  his  small  body  firmly  in 
front  of  the  old  gentleman.  "  She's  not  ready 
for  seeing  you  yet.  You  must  obey  me." 

Obey?  When  had  Mr.  King  heard  that  word 
addressed  to  himself.  He  drew  a  long  breath, 
looked  full  into  the  spectacled  eyes,  then  said, 
"  All  right,  Fisher ;  I  suppose  you  know  best," 
and  went  back  to  his  arm-chair. 

"  I'm  so  tired,  Polly,"  Phronsie  was  saying, 
and  the  arms,  Polly  could  feel,  were  dropping 
slowly  from  her  neck. 

"  Are  you,  Pet  ?  Well,  now,  I'll  tell  you  what 
we'll  do.  Let  us  both  go  to  sleep.  There,  Phron- 
sie, now  you  put  your  arms  down,  so"  —  Polly 
gave  them  a  swift  little  tuck  under  the  bedclothes 
—  "and  I'll  get  up  beside  you,  so" — and  she 


356 


PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND. 


crept  on  to  the  bed  —  "  and  we'll  both  go  right 
to  'nid-nid-nodland,'  don't  you  know?" 

"  You're  sure  you  won't  let  me  go  ?  "   whis- 


"NOW  YOU    PUT    YOUR    ARMS   DOWN,   SO." 

pered  Phronsie,  cuddling  close,  and  feeling  for 
Polly's  neck  again. 

"  Oh !  just  as  sure  as  I  can  be,"  declared  Polly 
cheerfully,  while  the  tears  rained  down  her  cheek 
in  the  darkness. 

"  I  feel  something  wet,"  said  Phronsie,  drawing 
back  one  hand.  "  What  is  it,  Polly  ?  " 


PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND.  357 

"  Oh  !  that,"  said  Polly  with  a  start.  "  Oh  — 
well,  it's  —  well,  I'm  crying,  Phronsie  ;  but 
I'm  so  glad  —  oh  !  you  don't  know  how  glad 
I  am,  sweet,"  and  she  leaned  over  and  kissed 
her. 

"  If  you're  glad,"  said  Phronsie  weakly,  "  I 
don't  care.  But  please  don't  cry  if  you  are  not 
glad,  Polly." 

"  Well,  now  we're  all  fixed,"  said  Polly  as 
gayly  as  she  could.  "  Give  me  your  hand,  Pet. 
There,  now,  good-night." 

"  Good-night,"  said  Phronsie.  Polly  could 
feel  her  tucking  the  other  hand  under  her  cheek 
on  the  pillow,  and  then,  blessed  sound  —  the  long 
quiet  breathing  that  told  of  rest. 

"  Oh !  better  is  she  ? "  Mrs.  Chatterton  looked 
up  quickly  to  see  Mrs.  Whitney's  pale  face. 
"  Well,  I  supposed  she  would  be.  I  thought  I'd 
sit  here  and  wait  to  know,  since  you  were  all  so 
frightened.  But  I  knew  it  wouldn't  amount  to 
much.  Now,  girl,"  nodding  over  to  the  maid 
still  in  the  corner,  "you  may  get  me  to  bed." 


358  PHRONSIE    IS    FOUND. 

And  she  stretched  her  stiff  limbs,  and  held  out 
her  hand  imperatively. 

"  It  was  very  fortunate  that  I  did  not  tell,"  she 
said,  when  the  slow  passage  to  her  own  apart- 
ments had  been  achieved.  "  Now  if  the  child 
will  only  keep  still,  all  will  be  well." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE   GIRLS    HAVE    POLLY   AGAIN. 

PHRONSIE  shall-  have  a  baked  apple  this 
morning,"  said  Mother  Fisher,  coming 
into  the  sunny  room  where  Phronsie  lay  propped 
up  against  the  pillows. 

"Did  Papa-Doctor  say  so?"  asked  Phronsie, 
a  smile  of  supreme  content  spreading  over  her 
wan  little  face. 

"  Yes,  he  did,"  said  her  mother ;  "  as  nice 
an  apple,  red  and  shiny  as  we  could  find, 
is  downstairs  baking  for  you,  Phronsie.  When 
it's  done  Sarah  is  to  bring  it  up." 

"  That  will  be  very  nice,"  breathed  Phronsie 

slowly.     "  And  I  want  my  little  tea-set  —  just  the 

two  cups  and  saucers —  and  my  own  little  pot  and 

sugar-bowl.     Do  let  me,  Mamsie,  and  you  shall 

359 


360  THE    GIRLS    HAVE    POLLY    AGAIN. 

have  a  cup  of  milk  with  me,"  she  cried,  a  little 
pink  color  stealing  into  either  cheek. 

"  Yes,  yes,  child,"  said  Mother  Fisher.  "  There, 
you  mustn't  try  to  lean  forward.  I'll  bring  the 
little  table  Grandpapa  bought,  so  ;  "  she  hurried 
over  across  the  room  and  wheeled  it  into  place 
"  Now  isn't  that  fine,  Phr.onsie  ? "  as  the  long 
wing  swung  over  the  bed.  "  Did  you  ever  see 
such  a  tea-party  as  you  and  I'll  have  ?  " 

"  Breakfast-party,  Mamsie  !  "  hummed  Phron- 
sie ;  "  isn't  that  just  lovely?  "  wriggling  her  toes 
under  the  bed-clothes.  "  Do  you  think  Sarah  '11 
ever  bring  that  apple  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed  —  why,  here  she  is  now ! "  an- 
nounced Mrs.  Fisher  cheerily.  "  Come  in, 
Sarah,"  as  a  rap  sounded  on  the  door.  "  Our 
little  girl  is  all  ready  for  that  good  apple.  My ! 
what  a  fine  one." 

"  Bless  honey's  heart !  "  ejaculated  Sarah,  her 
black  face  shining  with  delight.  "  Ain't  he  a 
beauty,  though  ? "  setting  down  on  the  table- 
wing  a  pink  plate  in  the  fnidst  of  which  reposed 


THE   GIRLS    HAVE    POLLY   AGAIN.  361 

an  apple  whose  crackling  skin  disclosed  a  tooth- 
some interior.  "  I  bring  a  pink  sasser  so's  to 
match  his  insides. 
But  ain't  he  rich, 
though  !  " 

"Sarah,"  said 
Phronsie,  with  hun- 
gry eyes  on  the 
apple,  "I  think  he 
is  very  nice  indeed, 
and  I  do  thank  you 
for  bringing  him." 

"  Bless  her  pre- 
cious heart ! "  cried 
Sarah,  her  hands 
on  her  ample  hips, 
and  her  mouth  ex- 
tended in  the  broad- 
est of  smiles. 

'  AIN'T  HE  A  BEAUTY,  THOUGH  !  " 

"Do   get    me    a 

spoon,   Mamsie,"  begged   Phronsie,  unable  to 
take  her  gaze  from   the  apple.     "  I'm  so  glad 


362  THE    GIRLS    HAVE    POLLY    AGAIN. 

he  has  a  stem  on,  Sarah,"  carefully  picking 
at  it. 

"Well,  there,"  said  Sarah,  "I  had  the  great- 
est work  to  save  that  stem.  But  la  !  I  wouldn't  'a' 
brung  one  without  a  stem.  I  know'd  you'd  want 
it  to  hold  it  up  by,  when  you'd  eat  the  most  off." 

"Yes,  I  do,"  said  Phronsie,  in  great  satisfac- 
tion fondling  the  stem. 

"  And  here's  your  spoon,"  said  her  mother, 
bringing  it.  "  Now,  child,  enjoy  it  to  your 
heart's  content." 

Phronsie  set  the  spoon  within  the  cracked 
skin,  and  drew  it  out  half-full.  "  O,  Mamsie  !  " 
she  cried,  as  her  teeth  closed  over  it,  "  do  just 
taste  ;  it's  so  good  !  " 

"  Hee-hee  !  "  laughed  Sarah,  "  I  guess  'tis. 
Such  works  as  I  had  to  bake  dat  apple  just  right. 
But  he's  a  beauty,  ain't  he,  though  ?  " 

Phronsie  did  not  reply,  being  just  at  that 
moment  engaged  in  conveying  a  morsel  as 
much  like  her  own  as  possible,  to  her  mother's 
mouth. 


THE   GIRLS    HAVE    POLLY   AGAIN.  363 

"  Seems  to  me  I  never  tasted  such  an  apple," 
said  Mother  Fisher,  slowly  swallowing  the  bit. 

"Did  you,  now  ?  "  cried  Sarah. 

Downstairs  Polly  was  dancing  around  the 
music-room  with  three  or  four  girls  who  had 
dropped  in  on  their  way  from  school. 

"Give  me  a  waltz  now,  Polly,"  begged  Phi- 
lena.  "  Dear  me,  I  haven't  had  a  sight  of  you 
hardly,  for  so  long,  I  am  positively  starved  for 
you.  I  don't  care  for  you  other  girls  now,"  she 
cried,  as  the  two  went  whirling  down  the  long 
room  together. 

"  Thank  you,  Miss  Philena,"  cried  the  others, 
seizing  their  partners  and  whirling  off  too. 

"  I  feel  as  if  I  could  dance  forever,"  cried 
Polly,  when  Amy  Garrett  turned  away  from  the 
piano  and  declared  she  would  play  no  more  — 
and  she  still  pirouetted  on  one  foot,  to  come  up 
red  as  a  rose  to  the  group. 

"Look  at  Polly's  cheeks  !  "  cried  Amy. 

"  You've  been  a  white  little  minx  so  long," 
said  Alexia,  putting  a  fond  arm  around  Polly ; 


364  THE   GIRLS    HAVE   POLLY   AGAIN. 

"  I  went  home  and  cried  every  day,  after  I  would 
steal  around  the  back  way  to  see  how  Phronsie 
was  "  — 

"  Won't  Phronsie  be  downstairs  soon  ? "  asked 
Amy. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Polly.  "  Papa-Doctor 
is  going  to  be  dreadfully  careful  of  her,  that  she 
doesn't  get  up  too  soon." 

"Say,  Polly,"  cried  another  girl,  "don't  you 
have  to  take  lots  of  pills  and  stuff,  now  Dr. 
Fisher  is  your  father  ?  " 

Polly  threw  back  her  head  and  laughed  mer- 
rily. It  sounded  so  strangely  to  her  to  hear  the 
sound  echoing  through  the  room  so  long  silent, 
that  she  stopped  suddenly. 

"  O,  girls  !  I  can't  hardly  believe  even  yet 
that  Phronsie  is  almost  well,"  she  cried. 

"Well,  you  better,"  advised  Alexia  philosoph- 
ically, "because  she  is,  you  know.  Do  laugh 
again,  Polly  ;  it's  good  to  hear  you." 

"  I  can't  help  it,"  said  Polly,  "  Cathie  asks 
such  a  funny  question." 


THE    GIRLS    HAVE    POLLY    AGAIN.  365 

"Cathie's  generally  a  goose,"  said  Alexia 
coolly. 

"Thank  you,"  said  Cathie,  a  tall  girl,  with 
such  light  hair  and  sallow  face  that  she  looked 
ten  years  older  than  her  fourteen  summers. 
"  I  sometimes  know  quite  as  much  as  a  few 
other  people  of  my  acquaintance,"  she  said 
pointedly. 

"  I  didn't  say  but  what  you  did,"  said  Alexia 
composedly.  "  I  said  you  were  generally  a 
goose.  And  so  you  are.  Why,  everybody 
knows  that,  Cath." 

"Come,  come,  girls,  don't  fight,"  said  Polly. 
"How  can  you,  when  Phronsie  is  getting  better? 
Alexia  didn't  mean  anything,  Cathie." 

"Yes,  she  did,"  declared  Cathie  with  a  pout; 
"she's  always  meaning  something.  She's  the 
hatefullest  thing  I  ever  saw  —  so  there  !  " 

"  Nonsense  ! "  said  Polly,  with  a  gay  little 
laugh.  "  She  says  perfectly  dreadful  things  to 
me,  and  so  I  do  to  her,  but  we  don't  either  of 
us  mind  them." 


366  THE    GIRLS    HAVE    POLLY    AGAIN. 

"  Well,  those  are  in  fun,"  said  Cathie  ;  "  that's 
a  very  different  matter  "  — 

"  So  you  must  make  these  in  fun,"  said  Polly. 
"  I  would,  if  I  were  you."  But  she  drew  away 
from  Alexia's  arm. 

"Polly,  don't  be  an  idiot  and  fight  with  me," 
whispered  Alexia  in  her  ear. 

"Go  away,"  said  Polly,  shaking  her  off. 

"Polly,  Polly,  I'll  say  anything  if  you  won't 
look  like  that.  See  here,  Cathie,  let's  make  up," 
and  she  ran  over,  seized  the  tall  girl  by  the 
waist  and  spun  her  around  till  she  begged  to 
stop. 

"  Is  that  your  way  of  making  up  ? "  cried 
Cathie,  when  she  had  the  breath  to  speak. 

"  Yes  ,  it  is  as  good  as  any  other  way.  It 
spins  the  nonsense  out  of  you.  There!"  with 
a  last  pat  on  the  thin  shoulder,  she  left  her,  and 
ran  back  to  Polly. 

"  It's  all  done,"  she  cried.  "  I'm  at  peace 
with  the  whole  world.  Now  don't  look  like  an 
ogre  any  longer." 


THE   GIRLS    HAVE    POLLY    AGAIN.  367 

"  Phronsie's  actually  hungry  now  all  the  time," 
confided  Polly  in  a  glow,  "and  we  can't  get 
enough  to  satisfy  her." 

"  Good —  good  !  "  cried  the  girls. 

"  I'm  going  to  send  her  some  of  my  orange 
jelly,"  declared  Alexia.  "  I'll  make  it  just  as 
soon  as  I  go  home.  Do  you  think  she  will  like 
it,  Polly?"  she  asked  anxiously. 

"Yes,  I  do  believe  she  will,"  said  Polly, 
"because  she  loves  oranges  so." 

"  Well,  I  sha'n't  make  any  old  orange  jelly," 
cried  Cathie,  her  nose  in  the  air.  "  Faugh  !  it's 
insipid  enough  !  " 

"  But  'tisn't  when  it's  made  the  way  Alexia 
makes  it,"  said  Polly,  viewing  in  alarm  the 
widening  of  the  breach  between  "the  two.  "  I've 
eaten  some  of  hers,  and  it's  too  splendid  for  any- 
thing." 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  hers,  but  all 
orange  jelly  I  have  tasted  is  just  horrid.  I  hate 
it!  I'm  going  to  make  almond  macaroons. 
They're  lovely,  Polly." 


368  THE   GIRLS    HAVE    POLLY   AGAIN. 

"  Oh!  don't,  Cathie,"  begged  Polly  in. distress. 

"  Why  not,  pray  tell,"  whirling  on  one  set  of 
toes.  "  You  needn't  be  afraid  they  won't  be 
good.  I've  made  them  thousands  of  times." 

"  But  she  couldn't  eat  them,"  said  Polly. 
"Just  think,  almond  macaroons!  Why,  Papa' 
Doctor  would  "  — 

"  Now  I  know  the  doctor  makes  you  take  per- 
fectly terrible  things,  and  won't  let  you  eat  any- 
thing. And  macaroons  is  the  only  thing  I  can 
make.  It's  a  shame  !"  and  down  sat  Cathie  in 
despair  on  an  ottoman. 

"What's  the  matter?"  Dr.  Fisher  put  his 
head  in  at  the  doorway,  his  spectacled  eyes 
sending  a  swift  glance  of  inquiry  around. 

"  O,  dear  me  ! "  exclaimed  Cathie  in  a  fright, 
jumping  up  and  clutching  the  arm  of  the  girl 
next  to  .her.  "  Don't  let  Polly  tell  him  what  1 
said  —  don't." 

"  Polly  won't  tell,"  said  the  girl,  with  a  superb 
air ;  "  don't  you  know  any  better,  Cathie  Harri- 
son, you  goose,  you  !  " 


THE   GIRLS    HAVE    POLLY    AGAIN.  369 

To  be  called  a  goose  by  two  persons  in  the 
course  of  an  hour  was  too  much  for  Cathie's  en- 
durance, and  flinging  off  the  girl's  arm,  she 
cried  out  passionately,  "  I  won't  stay ;  I'm 
going  home  !  "  and  rushed  out  the  door. 

Dr.  Fisher  turned  from  a  deliberate  look  at 
the  girl's  white  cheeks,  as  she  ran  past,  to  the 
flushed  ones  before  him. 

"  I'm  very  sorry  that  anything  unpleasant  has 
happened.  I  dropped  in  to  tell  you  of  a  little 
surprise,  but  I  see  it's  no  time  now." 

"  O,  Papa-Doctor  !  "  cried  Polly,  flying  up  to 
him  from  the  center  of  the  group,  "  it  was  noth- 
ing—  only  "  — 

"A  girl's  quarrel  is  not  a  slight  thing,  Polly," 
said  little  Dr.  Fisher  gravely,  "  and  one  of  your 
friends  has  gone  away  very  unhappy." 

"Oh!  I  know  it,"  said  Polly,  "and  I'm  so 
sorry." 

"  We  can't  any  of  us  help  it,"  said  Alexia 
quickly.  "  Cathie  Harrison  has  the  temper  of 
a  gorilla  —  so  there,  Doctor  Fisher." 


370  THE    GIRLS    HAVE    POLLY    AGAIN. 

Dr.  Fisher  set  his  spectacles  straight,  and 
looked  at  Alexia,  but  he  did  not  even  smile,  as 
she  hoped  he  would  do.  "  I  can't  help  it,"  she 
said,  tracing  the  pattern  of  the  carpet  with  the 
toe  of  her  boot,  "  she  makes  us  all  so  uncom- 
fortable, oh  !  you  can't  think.  And  I  wish  she'd 
stay  home  forever." 

Still  no  answer  from  the  doctor.  He  didn't 
act  as  if  he  heard,  but  bowing  gravely,  he  with- 
drew his  head  and  shut  the  door. 

"O,  dear,  dear !  "  cried  Alexia,  when  they  had 
all  looked  at  each  other  a  breathing  space. 
"  Why  didn't  he  speak  ?  I'd  much  rather  he'd 
scold  like  everything  than  to  look  like  that. 
Polly,  why  don't  you  say  something?" 

"  Because  there  isn't  anything  to  say."  Polly 
got  no  further,  and  turned  away,  suspiciously 
near  to  tears.  Was  this  the  first  meeting  with 
the  girls  to  which  she  had  looked  forward  so 
long? 

"  To  think  of  that  Cathie  Harrison  making 
such  a  breeze,"  cried  Alexia  angrily;  "a  girl 


THE   GIRLS    HAVE    POLLY    AGAIN.  371 

who's  just  come  among  us,  as  it  were,  and  we 
only  let  her  in  our  set  because  Miss  Salisbury 
asked  us  to  make  things  pleasant  for  her.  If  it 
had  been  any  one  else  who  raised  such  a  fuss !  " 

Meantime  Dr.  Fisher  strode  out  to  the  west 
porch,  intending  to  walk  down  to  his  office,  and 
buttoning  up  his  coat  as  he  went  along.  As  he 
turned  the  angle  in  the  drive,  he  came  suddenly 
upon  a  girl  who  had  thrown  herself  down  on  a 
rustic  seat  under  a  tree,  and  whose  shoulders 
were  shaking  so  violently  that  he  knew  she  was 
sobbing,  though  he  heard  no  sound. 

"  Don't  cry/'  said  the  little  doctor,  "  and 
what's  the  matter  ? "  all  in  the  same  breath, 
and  sitting  down  beside  her. 

Cathie  looked  up  with  a  gasp,  and  then 
crushed  her  handkerchief  over  her  eyes.  "Those 
girls  in  there  are  perfectly  horrid." 

"  Softly,  softly,"  said  Dr.  Fisher. 

"I  can't  —  help  it.  No  matter  what  I  say, 
they  call  me  names,  and  I'm  tired  of  it.  O, 
dear,  dear  !" 


372  THE   GIRLS    HAVE    POLLY   AGAIN. 

"  Now  see  here,"  said  the  doctor,  getting  up 
on  his  feet  and  drawing  a  long  breath.  "  I'm 
on  my  way  to  my  office  ;  suppose  you  walk  along 
with  me  a  bit  and  tell  me  all  about  it." 

Cathie  opened  her  mouth,  intending  to  say, 
"Oh!  I  can't"  —  instead  she  found  herself 
silent,  and  not  knowing  how,  she  was  presently 
pacing  down  the  drive  by  the  doctor's  side. 

"  Polly  Pepper  ! "  exclaimed  Alexia,  as  a  turn 
in  the  drive  brought  the  two  figures  in  view  of 
the  music-room  windows,  "  did  you  ever  see  such 
a  sight  in  your  life  ?  Cathie  is  walking  off  with 
Dr.  Fisher !  There  isn't  anything  her  tongue 
won't  say!  " 

"  Did  you  tell  Polly  ?  "  cried  Jasper,  a  half- 
hour  later,  putting  his  head  into  Dr.  Fisher's 
office.  '•  Oh  !  beg  pardon  ;  I  didn't  know  you 
were  busy,  sir." 

"  Come  in,"  said  the  doctor,  folding  up  some 
powders  methodically.  "  No,  I  didn't  tell 
Polly." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  Jasper,  in  a  disappointed  tone. 


THE    GIRLS    HAVE    POLLY    AGAIN. 


373 


"  I  hadn't  a  fair  chance  "  — 
"  But  she  ought  to  know  it  just  as  soon  as  it's 
talked  of,"  said  Jasper,  fidgeting  at  a  case  of 


"DID   YOU    TELL    POLLY?"   CRIED   JASPER. 

little  vials  on  the  table.  "Oh!  beg  pardon 
again.  I'm  afraid  I've  smashed  that  chap,"  as 
one  rolled  off  to  the  floor.  "  I'm  no  end  sorry," 
picking  up  the  bits  ruefully. 


374  THE    GIRLS    HAVE    POLLY   AGAIN. 

"  I  have  several  like  it,"  said  the  doctor 
kindly,  and  settling  another  powder  in  its  little 
paper. 

"  There  were  a  lot  of  girls  with  Polly  when  I 
looked  in  upon  her  on  my  way  out.  But  we'll 
catch  a  chance  to  tell  her  soon,  my  boy." 

"  Oh  !  I  suppose  so.  A  lot  of  giggling  crea- 
tures. How  Polly  can  stand  their  chatter,  I 
don't  see,"  cried  Jasper  impatiently. 

"  They've  been  shut  off  from  Polly  for  some 
time,  you  know,"  said  Dr.  Fisher  quietly.  "  We 
must  remember  that." 

"  Polly  don't  like  some  of  them  a  bit  better 
than  I  do,"  said  Jasper  explosively,  "  only  she 
puts  up  with  their  nonsense." 

"  It's  rather  a  difficult  matter  to  pick  and 
choose  girls  who  are  in  the  same  classes,"  said 
the  doctor,  "  and  Polly  sees  that." 

"  Don't  I  know  it  ?  "  exclaimed  Jasper,  in  an 
astonished  tone.  "Dear  me,  Dr.  Fisher,  I've 
watched  Polly  for  years  now.  And  she's  always 
done  so."  He  stopped  whirling  the  articles  on 


THE    GIRLS   -HAVE    POLLY    AGAIN.  375 

the  office  table,  and  bestowed  a  half-offended 
look  on  the  little  physician. 

"  Softly,  softly,  Jasper,"  said  Dr.  Fisher  com- 
posedly. "  Of  course  you've  used  your  eyes. 
Now  don't  spoil  things  by  saying  anything,  but 
let  Polly '  go  her  own  gait,'  I  beg  of  you."  Then 
he  turned  to  his  powders  once  more. 

"  She  will,  any  way,"  declared  Jasper.  "  What- 
ever she  makes  up  her  mind  to  do,  Polly  does 
that  very  thing." 

"  Not  a  bad  characteristic,"  laughed  the  doctor. 

"  I  should  say  not." 

"  Now  when  I  come  up  home  to  dinner,  you 
and  I  will  find  Polly,  and  tell  her  the  good  news. 
If  she's  with  a  lot  of  those  silly  girls,  I'll  —  I'll 
tear  her  off  this  time."  Dr.  Fisher  glared  so 
fiercely  as  he  declared  this  determination,  that 
Jasper  laughed  outright. 

"  I  thought  no  one  was  to  disturb  Polly's  good 
intentions  in  that  line,"  he  cried. 

"  Well,  there's  an  end  to  all  things,  and 
patience  ceases  to  be  a  virtue  sometimes." 


376  THE   GIRLS    HAVE    POLLY   AGAIN. 

"  So  I've  thought  a  good  many  times,  but 
I've  borne  it  like  a  man."  Jasper  drew  himself 
up,  and  laughed  again  at  the  doctor's  face. 

"Oh  !  you  go  along,"  cried  Dr.  Fisher,  his  eyes 
twinkling.  "  I'll  meet  you  just  before  dinner." 

"  All  right,"  as  Jasper  rushed  off. 

Dr.  Fisher  jumped  to  his  feet,  pushing  aside 
the  litter  of  powder  papers,  and  bottles,  and  ran 
his  fingers  through  the  shock  of  gray  hair  stand- 
ing straight  on  his  head. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  he  muttered,  walking  to  the  win- 
dow, "  it  will  be  a  good  thing  for  Polly,  now  I 
tell  you,  Adoniram."  He  always  preferred  to 
address  himself  by  his  first  name,  then  he  was 
sure  of  a  listener.  "  A  vastly  good  thing.  It's 
quite  time  that  some  of  the  intimacies  with  these 
silly  creatures  are  broken  up  a  bit,  while  the 
child  gains  immensely  in  other  ways."  He 
rubbed  his  palms  gleefully.  "  Oh  !  good-morn- 
ing, good-morning  !  " 

A  patient  walking  in,  looked  up  at  the  jolly 
little  doctor.  "  I  wish  I  could  laugh  like  that," 


THE   GIRLS    HAVE    POLLY    AGAIN.  377 

he  ejaculated,  his  long  face  working  in  the 
unusual  effort  to  achieve  a  smile. 

"  You  would  if  you  had  a  gay  crowd  of  children 
such  as  I  have,"  cried  the  little  doctor  proudly. 
"  Why,  man,  that's  better  than  all  my  doses." 

"  But  I  haven't  the  children,"  said  the  patient 
sourly,  and  sitting  down  with  a  sigh. 

"  I  pity  you,  then,"  said  Dr.  Fisher,  with  the 
air  of  having  been  a  family  man  for  years. 
"  Well,  besides  owning  the  Peppers,  I'm  going 
off  with  them  to  "  —  there  he  stopped,  for  before 
he  knew  it,  the  secret  was  well-nigh  out. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

PHRONSIE    IS   WELL   AGAIN. 

BUT  Polly  was  not  to  be  told  yet.  When 
Papa  Fisher  walked  in  to  dinner,  the 
merry  party  around  the  oak  table  were  waiting 
over  the  ices  and  coffee  for  his  appearance. 

"O,  Papa  Fisher!"  cried  Polly  in  dismay, 
turning  from  one  of  Alexia's  sallies,  and  drop- 
ping her  spoon.  "  Now  you're  all  tired  out  — 
too  bad  !  " 

Mother  Fisher  flushed  up,  and  set  her  lips 
closely  together.  Ben  looked  disapproval  across 
the  board,  and  Polly  knew  that  the  wrong  thing 
had  been  said. 

"  Oh !  I  didn't  mean  —  of  course  you  must  take 
care  of  the  sick  people,"  she  said  impulsively. 

"Yes,  I  must,"  said  Dr.  Fisher  wearily,  and 
378 


PHRONSIE    IS    WELL    AGAIN.  379 

pushing  up  the  shock  of  gray  hair  to  a  stiffer 
brush  over  his  brow.  "That's  what  I  set  out 
to  do,  I  believe." 

"But  that's  no  reason  why  you  should  tire 
yourself  to  death,  and  break  down  the  first 
year,"  said  Mr.  King,  eying  him  sharply. 
"Zounds,  man,  that  isn't  what  I  brought  you  up 
from  the  country  for." 

Dr.  Fisher  looked  into  his  wife's  eyes  and 
smiled.  "  I  believe  you  brought  me,"  the  smile 
said.  But  he  kept  his  tongue  still. 

"And  you  must  get  accustomed  to  seeing 
suffering  that  you  can't  help.  Why,  man  alive, 
the  town's  full  of  it;  you  can't  expect  to  stop  it 
alone." 

"  I'll  do  what  I  can  to  help,"  said  the  little 
doctor  between  his  teeth,  and  taking  a  long 
draught  of  the  coffee  his  wife  put  by  his  plate. 
"  I  suppose  there's  no  objection  to  that.  Now, 
that's  good,"  smacking  his  lips  in  a  pleased 
way. 

"  Of  course  not,  if  you  help  in  the  right  way," 


380  PHRONSIE    IS    WELL    AGAIN. 

said  old  Mr.  King  stoutly,  "but  I'll  wager  any- 
thing that  you're  picking  up  all  sorts  of  odd 
jobs  among  the  poor,  that  belong  to  the  young 
doctors.  Your  place  is  considerably  higher, 
where  you  can  pick  and  choose  your  patients." 

Dr.  Fisher  laughed  —  an  odd  little  laugh, 
that  along  with  its  pleasant  note,  carried  the 
ring  of  a  strong  will. 

"  Oh !  well,  you  know,  I'm  too  old  to  learn  new 
ways,"  he  said.  "  Better  let  me  wag  on  at  the 
old  ones." 

Mr.  King  gave  an  exclamation  of  disapproval. 
"  It's  lucky  your  time  is  short,"  he  said  grimly, 
and  the  secret  was  nearly  out  1 

"  Phronsie  is  coming  downstairs  to-morrow, 
isn't  she  ?  "  asked  Jasper  quickly,  over  to  the 
doctor. 

"  Oh  !  no,  indeed,  I  think  not,"  answered  Mr. 
King  before  Dr.  Fisher  had  time  to  reply. 
"  She  would  better  wait  a  day  or  two  longer. 
Isn't  that  so,  Doctor?"  at  last  appealing  to  him. 

"  I   don't  agree  with  you,"  the  little   doctor 


PHRONSIE    IS    WELL    AGAIN.  381 

drew  off  his  attention  from  his  plate.  "You  see 
she  has  regained  her  strength  remarkably.  Now 
the  quicker  she  is  in  the  family  life  again,  the 
better  for  her." 

"Oh!  good,  good,"  cried  Polly,  delighted  at 
the  safe  withdrawal  from  the  precipice  of  dan- 
gerous argument.  "  Alexia,  now  you  must  help 
us  think  up  something  to  celebrate  her  coming 
downstairs." 

"Not  so  fast,  Polly."  The  little  doctor 
beamed  at  her  in  a  way  surprising  to  see  after 
the  morning's  affair.  "  Phronsie  won't  be  ready 
for  any  celebration  before  next  week.  Then  I 
think  you  may  venture." 

Alexia  pouted  and  played  with  her  spoon. 

"  O,  dear!  "  cried  Dick  dolefully,  "what's  the 
reason  we  must  wait  a  whole  week,  pray  tell  ?  " 

"  Because  Father  Fisher  says  so,"  '  replied 
Ben  across  the  table ;  "  that's  the  principal 
reason  —  and  don't  need  any  more  to  support 
it ;>  — 

"Well,  I    tell   you,"  broke    in    Polly  in    her 


352  PHRONSIE    IS    WELL    AGAIN. 

brightest  way,  "  let  us  think  up  perfectly  splen- 
did things.  It's  best  as  it  is,  for  it  will  take  us 
a  week  to  get  ready." 

"  I  shall  get  her  a  new  doll,"  declared  Mr. 
King.  The  rest  shouted.  "  Her  others  must 
be  quite  worn  out." 

"  What  could  you  get  her,"  cried  Mr.  Whitney, 
"  in  the  way  of  a  doll  ?  do  tell  us,  for  1  really 
do  not  see." 

"  Why,  one  of  those  phonograph  dolls,  to  be 
sure,"  said  Mr.  King  promptly. 

"Are  they  on  sale  yet?"  asked  Jasper.  "I 
thought  they  had  not  perfected  them  enough 
for  the  market." 

"  I  think  I  know  where  one  can  be  bought," 
said  his  father.  "They  must  be  perfected  — 
it's  all  nonsense  that  I  can't  find  one  if  Phron- 
sie  wants  it !  Yes,  she  shall  have  a  phonograph 
doll." 

"  That  will  be  perfectly  elegant,"  exclaimed 
Polly,  with  sparkling  eyes.  "Won't  Phronsie 
be  delighted  when  she  hears  it  talk  ?  " 


PHRONSIE    IS    WELL   AGAIN.  383 

"  She  ought  to  have  a  Punch  and  Judy  show," 
said  Mrs.  Whitney,  "she's  always  so  pleased 
with  them,  father/' 

Mr.  King  pushed  away  his  coffee-cap,  and 
pulled  out  his  note-book. 

"  '  Punch  and  Judy,'  down  that  goes,"  he  said, 
noting  it  after  "  phonograph  doll."  "  What 
else  ?  " 

"  Can't  we  have  some  of  those  boys  up  from 
the  Orphan  Asylum?  "  asked  Polly,  after  a  minute 
in  which  everybody  had  done  a  bit  of  hard 
thinking.  "  Phronsie  loves  to  hear  them  sing 
when  she  goes  there.  Oh  !  they  are  so  cunning." 

"  She'll  want  to  give  them  her  best  toys  and 
load  them  down  with  all  her  possessions.  You 
see  if  she  doesn't,"  warned  Jasper. 

"  Well,  she  won't  give  away  her  new  doll, 
anyway,"  cried  Polly. 

"No,  she  never  gives  away  one  of  the  dolls 
you've  given  her,  father,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney 
slowly,  "  not  a  single  one.  I  tried  her  one  day, 
asking  her  to  give  me  one  to  bestow  on  a  poor 


384  PHRONSIE    IS    WELL    AGAIN. 

child,  and  she  quite  reproached  me  by  the  look 
in  her  brown  eyes.  I  haven't  asked  her  since." 

"  What  did  she  say  ? "  asked  Mr.  King 
abruptly. 

'"I  can't,  Aunty;  dear  Grandpapa  gave  them 
to  me  himself.'  Then  she  ran  for  her  savings 
bank,  and  poured  out  the  money  in  my  lap. 
'  Let's  go  out  and  buy  the  poor  child  a  doll,' 
she  begged,  and  I  really  had  to  do  it.  And 
there  must  be  at  least  two  hundred  dolls  in  this 
house." 

"  Two  hundred  dolls !  "  cried  Alexia  in  aston- 
ishment, and  raising  her  hands. 

"  Why,  yes;  father  has  been  bringing  Phron- 
sie  dolls  for  the  last  five  years,  with  the  greatest 
faithfulness,  till  her  family  has  increased  to  a 
painful  extent." 

"  O,  dear  me !  "  cried  Alexia,  with  great 
emphasis.  "  I  should  think  they'd  be  under 
foot  in  every  room." 

"Well,  indeed  they're  not,"  said  Polly;  "she 
keeps  them  up  in  her  playroom." 


PHRONSIE    IS    WELL    AGAIN.  385 

"  And  the  playroom  closet,"  said  Mrs.  Whit- 
ney, "  that  is  full.  I  peeped  in  there  yesterday, 
and  the  dolls  are  ranged  according  to  the  times 
when  father  gave  them  to  her." 

"  And  the  baby-house  is  just  crowded," 
laughed  Jasper.  "  I  know,  because  I  saw  her 
moving  out  her  chairs  and  tables  to  make  room." 

"  O,  dear  me  ! "  exclaimed  Alexia  again,  for 
want  of  something  else  to  say. 

"I  just  hate  dolls,"  exploded  Dick.  "Faugh! 
how  can  girls  play  with  them ;  they're  so  silly. 
And  Phronsie  always  has  something  to  do  for 
hers,  so  she  can't  come  when  I  want  her  to.  I 
wish  they  were  burnt  up,"  he  added  vindictively. 

Mr.  King  rubbed  his  forehead  in  a  puzzled 
way.  "  Perhaps  she  has  enough,"  he  said  at 
last.  "  Yet  what  shall  I  give  her  if  I  don't  buy 
a  doll  ?  " 

"  I'd  give  her  the  phonograph  one,  father," 
said  Mrs.  Whitney,  "  anyway." 

"  Yes,  of  course  ;  but  after  that,  what  shall 
I  do?" 


386  PHROXSIE    IS    WEI, I.    AGAIN. 

He  looked  so  troubled  that  Mrs.  Whitney 
hastened  to  say,  "  O,  well,  father !  you  know 
when  you  are  abr" — and  the  secret  was  nearly 
out  the  second  time  ! 

But  they  were  saved  by  the  appearance  of 
Alexia's  father,  who  often  dropped  in  on  the  edge 
of  the  dinner  hour,  for  a  second  cup  of  coffee. 

The  next  morning  Phronsie  was  waiting  for 
Grandpapa  King,  who  insisted  that  no  one  else 
should  carry  her  downstairs,  the  remainder  of 
the  household  in  various  stages  of  delight  and 
expectation,  revolving  around  her,  and  curbing 
their  impatience  as  best  they  might,  in  hall  and 
on  staircase. 

"  O,  Grandpapa !  do  hurry,"  begged  Dick, 
kicking  his  heels  on  the  stairs. 

"  Hush,  Dicky  boy,"  said  mamma.  "  Grand- 
papa can't  come  till  his  agent  is  gone.  Don't 
you  hear  them  talking  in  the  library  ? " 

"  Well,  I  wish  Mr.  Frazer  would  take  himself 
off;  he's  a  nuisance,"  declared  the  boy.  "  He's 
been  here  a  whole  hour." 


PHRONSIE    IS    WELL   AGAIN.  387 

"  Here  comes  Grandpapa  !  "  announced  Polly 
gleefully,  from  a  station  nearer  the  library. 
"  Hush,  now,  Mr.  Frazer's  going  !  " 

The  library  door  opening  at  this  announce- 
ment, and  a  few  sentences  charged  with  busi- 
ness floating  up  the  staircase,  the  bustle  around 
Phronsie  became  joyfully  intense. 

"  Mamsie,  don't  you  think  she  ought  to  have 
a  shawl  on?"  cried  Polly  anxiously,  running 
over  the  stairs.  "She's  been  shut  up  so  long !  " 

"  No,"  said  Mother  Fisher.  "  Doctor  told 
me  particularly 'not  to  bundle  her  up.  It  was 
the  last  thing  he  said  before  he  went  to  his 
office." 

"  Well,"  said  Polly  with  a  sigh,  "  then  there 
isn't  absolutely  anything  more  to  do  for  her. 
Why  don't  Grandpapa  come  ? " 

"  You  are  worse  than  Dicky,"  said  Mrs. 
Fisher  with  a  little  laugh.  "  Dear  me,  Polly, 
just  think  how  old  you  are." 

Phronsie  stood  quite  still  in  the  middle  of  the 
floor  and  folded  her  hands.  "  I  want  to  see 


388  PHRONSIE    IS    WELL    AGAIN. 

Grandpapa  all  alone  when  he  comes  up,"  she 
said. 

"What  for?"  cried  Polly,  pausing  in  aston- 
ishment. 

"  Do  you  want  us  all  to  go  out,  Phronsie  ? " 
'asked  her  mother  slowly. 

"  Yes,"  said  Phronsie,  shaking  her  yellow 
head  with  great  decision,  "please  every  single 
one  go  out,  Mamsie.  I  want  to  see  Grandpapa 
quite  alone." 

"  All  right,  child,"  said  Mrs.  Fisher,  with  a 
look  at  Polly.  So  after  a  little  demur  and  con- 
sequent delay  on  the  part  of  the  others,  the  door 
was  closed  and  she  was  left  standing  alone. 

Phronsie  drew  a  long  breath.  "  I  \frish  Grand- 
papa would  come,"  she  said  to  herself. 

"  And  so  you  wanted  me,  did  you,  dear  ? " 
cried  Mr.  King  joyfully,  as  he  hurried  in  and 
closed  the  door  carefully.  "Well,  now,  see  if 
T  can  guess  what  you  want  to  tell  me." 

"  Grandpapa,"  said  Phronsie.  standing  quite 
still  and  turning  a  puzzled  face  toward  him, 


PHRONSIE    IS   WELL    AGAIN.  391 

"  I  don't  want  to  tell  you  anything,  I  want  to 
ask  you  something." 

"Well,  well,  dear,  what  is  it?"  Old  Mr. 
King,  not  stopping  for  a  chair,  leaned  over  her 
and  stroked  her  yellow  head.  "  Now,  then,  look 
up,  and  ask  me  right  off,  Phronsie." 

"  Must  a  person  keep  a  promise  ? "  asked 
Phronsie,  "  a  really  and  truly  promise,  Grand- 
papa ? " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  drawing 
himself  up  stoutly,  and  speaking  with  great 
abruptness,  "to  be  sure  one  must,  Phronsie. 
To  be  sure.  So  now  if  any  one  has  promised 
you  anything,  do  you  make  him  stick  to  it. 
It's  mean  enough  to  break  your  word,  child." 

Phronsie  drew  a  long  breath. 

"That's  all,  Grandpapa,"  she  said,  and  lift- 
ing up  her  arms:  "now  take  me  downstairs, 
please."  She  laid  a  cool  little  cheek  against 
his,  as  he  raised  her  to  his  shoulder. 

"  Remember  what  I  say,  Phronsie,"  laughed 
Mr.  King,  his  mind  more  intent  on  the  delight- 


392  PHRONSIE    IS    WELL    AGAIN. 

ful  fact  that  he  was  carrying  down  the  longed- 
for  burden  to  the  family  life,  than  on  what  he 
was  saying,  "  and  if  any  one  has  promised  you 
anything,  keep  him  up  sharp  to  pay  you.  I 
verily  believe  it  is  that  scamp  Dick.  Here 
goes  !  "  and  reaching  the  door  he  threw  it  wide. 
"  Forward,  march  ! " 

"  Well,  is  the  important  conference  over  ?  " 
asked  Polly,  with  a  keen  look  at  them  both. 

Mrs.  Fisher's  eyes  did  their  duty,  but  she 
said  nothing. 

"Yes,  indeed,"  declared  Mr.  King,  marching 
on  gaily.  "  Now  clear  the  way  there,  all  you 
good  people.  Here,  you  Dick,  drumming  your 
heels,  go  ahead,  sir." 

"  I'm  glad  enough  to,*  shouted  Dick,  racing 
clown  the  remainder  of  the  stairs.  "  "  Halloo, 
Phronsie,"  waving  his  hand  at  her,  "three  cheers 
and  a  tiger  !  Bother !  here  comes  Mrs.  Chat- 
terton." 

Which  was  quite  true.  To  every  one's  aston- 
ishment the  door  to  that  lady's  apartttient  opened 


PHRONSIE    IS    WELL   AGAIN.  393 

slowly,  disclosing  her  in  new  morning  wrapper, 
preparing  to  join  the  cavalcade. 

"Good  morning,  Cousin  Eunice,"  cried  Mr. 
King  gaily.  He  could  be  merry  with  any  one 
this  day.  "  Come  on,  this  is  a  festal  occasion, 
you  see  .  Phronsie's  going  downstairs  for  the 
first  time.  Fall  into  line  !  " 

"  I'm  not  able  to  go  down,"  said  Mrs.  Chat- 
terton,  coming  slowly  out  into  the  hall,  "but  I'll 
stand  here  and  see  the  parade." 

"  Bully  !  "  exploded  Dick  softly,  peering  up 
from  the  foot  of  the  stairs. 

Phronsie  looked  over  Mr.  King's  shoulder  at 
her  as  she  was  borne  down  the  stairs,  and,  put- 
ting out  her  hand,  "  I'm  all  well  now,"  she  said. 

"Yes,  I  see,"  said  Mrs.  Chatterton.  Then 
she  pulled  up  her  white  shawl  with  a  shiver. 
"  It's  rathet  cold  here,"  she  said  ;  "  after  all,  I 
believe  I  must  get  back  to  my  room." 

Nobody  noticed  when  she  crept  back,  the 
hilarity  now  being  so  great  below  stairs.* 

"I  certaipjy  am  losing  ground,"  she  muttered, 


394  PHRONSIE    IS    WELL    AGAIN. 

"  every  little  thing  affects  me  so.  I'll  step  into 
Bartram's  office  next  time  I  go  down  town,  and 
set  that  little  matter  straight,  since  I've  made 
up  my  mind  to  do  it.  It  never  would  do  to  let 
him  come  to  the  house.  Horatio  would  suspect 
something  to  see  my  lawyer  here,  and  the  whole 
household  imagine  I  was  going  to  die  right  off. 
No,  no  ;  I  must  go  there,  that's  clear.  Then  if 
it's  attended  to,  I'll  live  all  the  longer,  with 
nothing  on  my  mind." 

Phronsie,  meanwhile,  was  going  around  from 
room  to  room  in  a  pleased  way,  and  touching 
different  objects  gently.  "  Everything's  new, 
isn't  it,  Polly,"  she  said  at  last,  "when  you 
stay  upstairs  ?  Oh  !  there's  my  kittens  in  the 
basket,"  pointing  to  a  bisque  vase  on  the  table. 

"Yes,"  said  Polly;  "  Mamsie  brought  it  in 
here.  And  we've  some  flowers;  .Alexia  sent 
them  over.  They're  out  in  the  back  hall ;  we 
saved  them  for  you  to  put  in  yourself.'' 

"Oh  !  "  exclaimed  Phronsie,  "that's  so  good 
in  you,  Polly." 


PHRONSIE    IS    WELL   AGAIN.  395 

"Don't  stop  now,"  cried  Dick  in  disgust. 
"  Faugh  !  you  can  fix  flowers  any  time.  Come 
out  into  the  dining-room  —  and  you'll  see  some- 
thing like." 

Phronsie  smothered  a  sigh,  and  turned  slowly 
away  from  the  kittens  waiting  in  their  basket 
for  Alexia's  flowers.  "  Come  on  !  "  shouted 
Dick,  seizing  her  hand.  "  You  never  can  guess 
what  it  is,  in  all  this  world." 

"Is  it  a  new  dog?"  asked  Phronsie  fearfully, 
whose  memory  of  Dick's  latest  purchase  was 
not  altogether  happy. 

"  No,"  said  Dick,  pulling  her  on,  "better  than 
that." 

"  Don't  hurry  her  so,"  said  Polly.  "  What 
have  you  got,  Dick  ? " 

"Now,  do  you  mind,  sir,"  cried  jasper,  "else 
we'll  stop  your  pretty  plan." 

"  I  won't  hurry  her,"  said  Dick,  slackening 
his  gait.  "  Well,  here  we  are,"  opening  the 
dining-room  door.  "Why,  Jane  has  let  it  out!" 

Phronsie  fell  back  a  step  at  this  and  tried  to 


396  PHRONSIE    IS   WELL   AGAIN. 

cover  her  feet  with  her  gown,  searching  the 
floor  for  the  "  it." 

"  Look  out ! "  cried  Dick  suddenly;  "  there  he 
goes ! "  And  following  the  direction  of  his 
gaze  she  saw  a  big  bird  with  thick  plumage  and 
long  wings  whirring  over  her  head. 

"  Oh !  what  is  it?"  she  cried,  tumbling  into 
Jasper's  arms  and  clasping  his  neck.  "  Oh !  oh ! " 

"  Why,  it's  a  swallow,"  cried  Dick,  in  the  babel 
that  ensued,  "a  beautiful  one,  too.  I  caught 
him  this  morning,  and  made  Jane  let  me  bring 
it  in  here  to  surprise  you,"  he  added  proudly. 

"Well,  you've  succeeded,"  cried  Jasper,  hold- 
ing Phronsie  close.  "There,  there,  child,  it's 
all  right ;  the  creature's  gone  upstairs.' 

"  He'll  frighten  my  dolls,"  cried  Phronsie  in 
new  alarm,  hanging  to  Jasper's  neck.  "  Oh  ! 
do  let  us  go  upstairs,  and  tell  them  he's  only  a 
swallow." 

"Run  along,  Dick,  and  catch  your  old  bird," 
cried  Jasper,  "and  clear  out  with  him  —  quick 
now !  " 


THE    UNINVITED    GUEST. 


PHRONSIE    IS    WELL    AGAIN.  399 

"  He's  the  best  thing  there  is  in  this  house," 
cried  Dick,  going  over  the  back  stairs  two  at  a 
time.  "Girls  are  so  silly." 

"  Bring  him  down,''  said  Polly,  moving  along 
to  the  foot,  "and  I'll  show  him  to  Phronsie,  and 
tell  her  about  him.  Then  she'll  like  him,  Dick." 

•I'll  like  him,  Dick,"  echoed  Phronsie,  "if 
he  don't  frighten  my  dolls." 

This  episode  taking  the  family  life  to  the  rear 
of  the  house,  no  one  noticed  that  soft  footsteps 
were  passing  through  the  open  front  door,  that 
Jane,  who  was  sweeping  the  vestibule,  had  left 
ajar  to  run  and  tell  Dick  that  she  had  not  let  the 
bird  out  of  the  dining-room.  So  the  uninvited 
guest  to  the  household  let  himself  up  easily  to 
the  scene  of  his  hopes  —  the  location  of  the 
ladies'  jewel-boxes. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

THE   SECRET. 

MRS.  CHATTERTON  standing  by  her 
toilet  table,  carefully  examining  her 
wealth  of  gray  hair  to  note  the  changes  in  its 
tint,  was  suddenly  surprised  in  the  very  act  of 
picking  out  an  obnoxious  white  hair,  by  a  slight 
noise  in  the  further  corner  of  the  apartment. 
And  dropping  her  ringers  quickly  and  turning 
away  from  the  glass,  she  exclaimed,  "  How  dare 
you,  Hortense,  come  in  without  knocking  ?  " 

"  If  you  make  a  noise  I'll  kill  you,"  declared 
a  man,  standing  in  the  shadow  of  a  portiere  and 
watching  her  underneath  a  slouched  black  hat. 
There  was  a  slight  click  that  caused  the  listen- 
er's nerves  to  thrill.  But  her  varied  life  had 
brought  her  nothing  if  not  self-control,  and  she 
400 


THE   SECRET.  40 1 

coolly  answered,  "  If  you  want  my  money,  say 
so." 

"  Not  exactly  money,  ma'am,"  said  the  man, 
"  for  I  don't  suppose  you  have  much  here.  But 
I'll  thank  you  to  hand  over  that  there  box  of 
diamonds."  He  extended  the  other  hand  with 
its  dingy  fingers  toward  a  large  ebony  jewel-case 
elaborate  with  its  brass  hinges,  and  suggestive 
of  double  locks,  on  a  corner  of  the  table. 

"  If  you  are  determined  to  take  it,  I  suppose 
I  must  give  it  to  you,"  said  Mrs.  Chatterton, 
with  evident  reluctance  handing  the  box  desig- 
nated, very  glad  to  think  she  had  but  a  few  days 
before  changed  the  jewels  to  another  repository 
to  escape  Hortense's  prying 'eyes.  In  making 
the  movement  she  gave  a  sweeping  glance  out  the 
window.  Should  she  dare  to  scream  ?  Michael 
was  busy  on  the  lawn,  she  knew  ;  she  could  hear 
his  voice  talking  to  one  of  the  under  gardeners. 

"  See  here,  old  lady,"  warned  the  man,  "  you 
keep  your  eyes  in  the  room.  Now  then."  his 
greedy  glance  fastened  on  the  glittering  gems 


402  THE   SECRET. 

on  her  fingers,  "  I'll  thank  you  to  rip  them 
things  off."  Dick,  racing  along  the  further  end 
of  the  hall  after  his  bird  with  a  "  Whoop,  la  — 
I've  almost  caught  you,"  startling  him,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  perform  the  service  for  himself. 

"  There  he  goes !  "  cried  Dick,  "  in  her  room. 
Bother  I  Well,  I  must  catch  him."  So  without 
the  preamble  of  knocking,  the  boy  dashed  into 
the  dressing-room.  The  bird  whizzing  ahead 
of  him,  flashed  between  the  drawn  folds  of  the 
portiere. 

"  Excuse  me,"  cried  Dick,  rushing  in,  "  but 
my  swallow — oh!  " 

"  Go  back  !  "  cried  Mrs.  Chatterton  hoarsely, 
"you'll  be  killed." 

The  bird  flying  over  his  head,  and  the  appear- 
ance of  the  boy,  disconcerted  the  robber  for  one 
instant.  He  held  the  long  white  hand  in  his, 
tearing  off  the  rings.  There  was  no  chance  for 
her  to  escape,  she  knew,  but  she  could  save  Dick. 

"Go  back!"  she  screamed  again.  There  was 
only  a  moment  to  think,  but  Dick  dashed  in. 


THU    SECRET. 


403 


and  with  a  mighty  spirit,  but  small  fists,  he 
rlung  himself  against  the  stalwart  arms  and 
shoulders. 

"  O,   heavens  !  "  screamed    Mrs.    Chatterton. 


HK    WAS    TEARING    OFF   THE    RINGS. 

"  He's  but  a  boy,  let  him  go.     You  shall  have 
the  rings.     Help  —  help!" 

Dick,  clutching  and  tearing  blindly  at^what- 
ever  in  the  line  of  hair  or  ragged  garment  he 


404  THE   SECRET. 

could  lay  hold  of,  was  waging  an  unequal  war- 
fare. But  whal  he  did,  was  accomplished  finely. 
And  the  bird,  rushing  blindly  into  the  midst  of 
the  contention,  with  whirrings  and  flappings 
indescribable,  helped  more  than  an  army  of 
servants,  to  confuse  the  man.  Notwithstanding, 
it  was  'soon  over,  but  not  before  Mrs.  Chatter- 
ton  had  wrenched  her  fingers  free,  and  grasped 
the  pistol  from  its  loose  hold  in  his  other  hand. 
The  box  under  his  arm  fell  to  the  floor,  and 
Dick  was  just  being  tossed  to  the  other  side  of 
the  room  ;  she  could  hear  him  strike  the  cheval- 
glass  with  a  dull  thud. 

"I  can  shoot  as  well  as  you,"  said  Mrs.  Chat- 
terton,  handling  the  pistol  deftly.  "  Make  a 
noise,  and  I  will." 

Hfe  knew  it,  by  her  eyes,  and  that  she  had 
taken  good  aim. 

"  Where  are  you,  Dick  ?  "  cried  Polly's  voice 
outside,  and  rapping  at  the  door.  "  Mrs.  Chat- 
terton,  have  you  seen  him?" 

"  Come    in,"    called     Mrs.    Chatterton,    with 


THE    SECRET.  405 

firmest  of  fingers  on  the  trigger  and  her  flash- 
ing eyes  fastened  upon  the  seamed,  dirty  face 
before  her. 

Polly  threw  wide  the  door. 

"We  have  a  man  here  that  we  don't  want," 
said  Mrs.  Chatterton.  "I'll  take  care  of  him 
till  you  get  help.  Hurry  !  " 

"  O,  Dick  !  "  cried  Polly  in  a  breath,  with  a 
fearful  glance  at  the  boy  lying  there. 

"  I  think  he's  all  right,  Polly."  She  dared 
say  no  more,  for  Dick  had  not  stirred. 

Polly  clasped  her  hands,  and  rushed  out 
almost  into  jasper's  face.  "  A  burglar  —  a 
burglar ! "  and  he  dashed  into  Mrs.  Chatter- 
ton's  room. 

"Don't  interfere,"  said  Mrs.  Chatterton,  "I'm 
a  splendid  markswoman." 

"You  needn't  shoot,"  said  the  man  sullenly, 
"I  won't  stir." 

"  No,  I  don't  think  you  will,"  said  the  gray- 
haired  woman,  her  eyes  alight,  and  hand  firm 
as  a  rock.  "  Well,  here  are  the.  men." 


406  THE    SECRET. 

Jasper  had  seized  a  table-spread,  and  as 
Michael  and  the  under  gardeners  advanced,  he 
went  back  of  the  robber,  and  cleverly  threw  it 
over  his  head.  It  was  easy  to  secure  and  bind 
him  then.  Poll)7  rushed  over  to  Dick. 

"  Turn  the  creature  over  and  let  us  see  how 
he  looks,"  said  Mr.  King,  hurrying  in  as  the 
last  knot  of  the  rope  was  made  fast.  The  old 
slouched  hat  had  fallen  off  in  the  struggle,  and 
the  man's  features  came  plainly  to  view.  "  He's 
no  beauty,  and  that's  a  fact." 

"I've  seen  that  fellow  round  here  for  mony  a 
day,"  said  Michael,  giving  the  recumbent  legs 
a  small  kick.  "Oncet  he  axed  me  ef  we  wanted 
ony  wourk  done.  I  mind  yees,  yer  see,"  with 
another  attention  from  his  gardening  boot. 

"  I  want  to  tie  one  rope,"  cried  a  voice.  Dick 
opened  his  eyes,  rubbed  them,  and  felt  of  his 
head.  "  I'm  all  righx,  Polly.  I  saw  stars,  but 
I've  got  over  it,  I  guess.  Let  me  give  him  the 
last  knot."  He  staggered  blindly  to  his  feet. 

"I'll    tie    for  you,"  said   Jasper,  "trust   me. 


THE    SECRET.  407 

Dick's  all  right,  only  stunned,"  he  telegraphed 
to  the  rapidly  increasing  group. 

"Tell  his  mother  so,  do,  somebody,"  said 
old  Mr.  King. 

"  Well,  Cousin  Eunice,  you've  covered  your- 
self with  glory,"  he  turned  to  her  warmly.  She 
had  thrown  aside  the  pistol,  and  now  sank  into 
a  chair. 

"  Never  mind,"  she  waved  it  off  carelessly, 
"  I'll  imagine  the  compliments.  Just  now  I  want 
a  glass  of  wine.  Call  Hortense,  will  you  ?  " 

The  man  on  the  floor  tried  to  raise  his  head. 
But  he  couldn't,  so  was  obliged  to  content  him- 
self with  an  ugly  grin. 

"  That  bird  has  flown,"  he  said.  "  I'll  peep. 
She  put  me  up  to  it ;  we  was  goin'  shares  on 
the  old  lady's  stuff." 

With  that  Mrs.  Chatterton's  spirit  returned. 
She  sprang  from  her  chair,  and  rushed  around 
from  bureau  to  closet  to  see  the  extent  of  her 
maid's  dishonesty.  But  beyond  a  few  minor 
deficiencies  of  her  wardrobe,  there  was  no  rob- 


408  THE    SECRET. 

bery  to  speak  of.  Evidently  Hortense  had  con- 
sidered it  unwise  to  be  burdened  with  much 
impedimenta.  So  the  robber  was  hauled  off  to 
justice,  and  Phronsie,  coming  wonderingly  up 
the  stairs,  came  softly  in  upon  them,  in  time 
to  see  Dick  rush  up  to  Mrs.  Chatterton  with  a 
"  You're  a  brick  !  "  before  them  all. 

After  that,  there  was  no  more  hope  of  keep- 
ing things  quiet  in  the  house  for  Phronsie's 
sake.  Meanwhile  the  bird,  who  had  played  no 
mean  part  in  the  engagement,  now  asserted 
himself,  and  blindly  rushed  into  capture. 

"Isn't  he  lovely!"  cried  Phronsie,  tearing 
her  gaze  off  from  the  wonderful  wings,  as  the 
swallow  fluttered  under  the  mosquito  netting 
speedily  brought  in. 

"Yes,  his  wings  are,"  said  Polly.  "  O,  Dick  ! 
do  tell  over  again  how  it  all  happened." 

So  Dick  rehearsed  once  more  as  far  as  he 
knew  the  story,  tossing  off  lightly  his  part  of  it. 

"  Your  poor  head,  does  it  ache  ?  "  cried  Polly, 
feeling  of  the  big  bump  on  the  crown. 


THE    SECRET.  409 

"  No.  not  a  bit,"  declared  Dick,  shaking  his 
brown  poll.  "I'm  glad  I  didn't  crack  the 
glass." 

"  That  heavy  plate  ?  "  cried  Polly,  looking 
over  at  the  cheval-glass  with  a  shiver. 

Phronsie  deserted  the  fascinating  bird,  and 
began  to  smooth  Dick's  head  with  both  hands. 

"Do  let  me  bathe  it,"  she  begged.  "I'll  get 
the  Pond's  Extract." 

"  No,  I  won't,"  said  Dick.  "  It  smells  aw- 
fully, and  I've  had  so  much  of  it  for  my  leg. 
I'm  all  right,  Phronsie.  See  his  wings  now  —  he's 
stretching." 

But  Phronsie  was  not  to  be  diverted  from  her 
purpose. 

"  I'll  get  Bay  Rum,"  she  said.     "May  I?" 

Dick  made  a  wry  face.     "  Worse  and  worse." 

"Cologne,  then." 

"  No,  I  hate  it." 

"  He  don't  want  it  bathed,  Phronsie  dear," 
said  Polly.  "  Boys  like  to  get  hurt,  you  know. 
Tisn't  manly  to  be  fixed  up." 


410  THE   SECRET. 

Phronsie  gave  a  sigh,  which  so  went  to  Dick's 
heart,  that  he  said,  "  All  right,  bring  on  some 
water  if  you  want  to.  But  don't  you  get  any 
brown  paper ;  I  had  enough  of  that  when  I  was 
a  boy." 

And  at  the  end  of  that  exciting  day,  the 
secret  came  out,  after  all,  in  rather  a  tame 
fashion.  Dr.  Fisher  and  Jasper  met  Polly  in 
an  angle  of  the  hall,  as  she  was  running  up- 
stairs after  dinner  for  her  schoolbooks. 

"  Polly,"  asked  the  little  doctor,  putting  both 
hands  on  her  shoulders,  and  looking  into  the 
brown  eyes,  "should  you  be  willing  to  go  abroad 
with  your  mother  and  Phronsie,  Mr.  King  and 
Jasper  ? " 

"  Oh !  "  gasped  Polly.  "  But  you  ?  "  came  in 
a  later  breath,  "we  couldn't  leave  you,"  she 
cried  loyally. 

"Well,  I  suppose  I  should  go  along  too," 
said  the  little  doctor,  enjoying  her  face. 

"  Why,  Jasper  Elyot  King ! "  cried  Polly, 
slipping  out  from  under  the  doctor's  palms,  and 


THE    SECRET.  411 

seizing  the  two  hands  extended,  she  began  to 
spin  around  as  in  the  olden  days,  "did  you 
ever,  ever  hear  of  anything  so  perfectly  mag- 
nificent !  But  Ben  and  Joel  and  Davie !  "  and 
she  paused  on  the  edge  of  another  pirouette. 

Dr.  Fisher  made  haste  to  answer,  "  Pollv, 
Mrs.  Whitney  will  take  care  of  them."  And 
Jasper  led  her  off  into  the  dance  again. 

"  How  can  we  ever  leave  the  boys !  Oh  !  J 
don't  see,"  cried  Polly,  a  bit  reproachfully,  her 
hair  blown  over  her  rosy  cheeks.  As  they 
danced  lightly  down  the  long  hall,  Dr.  Fisher 
leaned  against  a  pillar,  and  watched  them. 

"  Have  to,"  said  Jasper,  guiding  his  partner 
deftly  in  the  intricacies  of  the  chairs  and  stat- 
uary. "  That's  a  good  spin,  Polly,"  he  said,  as 
they  brought  up  by  the  little  doctor's  side. 

"  Lovely  !  "  said  Polly,  pushing  back  her  locks 
from  the  sparkling  eyes. 

"  I'm  almost  tempted  to  dance  myself,"  said 
Dr.  Fisher.  "  If  I  wasn't  such  an  old  fellow, 
I'd  try;  that  is,  if  anybody  asked  me," 


412  THE    SECRET. 

"  I  will,"  said  Polly,  laughing.  "  Come,  Papa 
Fisher,"  holding  out  her  hand,  "  do  give  me  the 
honor." 

"All  right,"  said  Dr.  Fisher  bravely.  So 
Jasper  took  the  deserted  post  by  the  pillar,  and 
whistled  a  Strauss  waltz.  Thereupon  a  most 
extraordinary  hopping  up  and  down  the  hall  was 
commenced,  the  two  figures  bobbing  like  a  pair 
of  corks  on  a  quivering  water-surface. 

The  doors  opened,  and  several  faces  appeared, 
amongst  the  number  Mrs.  Fisher's. 

"  I  couldn't  help  it,"  said  the  little  doctor, 
coming  up  red  and  animated,  and  wiping  his 
forehead.  His  spectacles  had  fallen  off  long 
since,  and  he  had  let  them  go.  "  It  looked  so 
nice  to  see  Jasper  and  Polly,  I  thought  I'd  try 
it.  I  didn't  suppose  I'd  get  on  so  good ;  I 
really  believe  I  can  dance." 

"  Humph !  "  laughed  Mr.  King,  "  it  looks 
like  it.  Just  see  Polly." 

"  O,  Papa  Fisher !  "  cried  Polly  with  a  merry 
peal  in  which  Jasper,  unpuckering  his  lips 


THE    SECRET.  415 

from  the  Strauss  effort,  had  joined,  "  we  must 
have  looked  "  —  Here  she  went  off  again. 

"Yes,"  said  Jasper,  "you  did.  That's  just 
it,  Polly,  you  did.  Lucky  you  two  caperers 
didn't  break  anything." 

"Well,  if  you've  all  got  through  laughing," 
observed  Dr.  Fisher,  "  I'll  remark  that  the 
secret  is  out." 

"  Do  you  like  it,  Polly  ? "  asked  Mr.  King, 
holding  out  his  hand.  "  Say,  my  girl  ?"  And 
then  before  she  could  answer,  he  went  on, 
"  You  see,  we  can't  do  anything  without  a  doc- 
tor on  our  travels.  Now  Providence  has  given 
us  one,  though  rather  an  obstinate  specimen," 
he  pointed  to  Father  Fisher.  "  And  he  wants 
to  see  the  hospitals,  and  you  want  to  study  a 
bit  of  music,  and  your  mother  wants  rest,  and 
Jasper  and  Phronsie  and  I  want  fun,  so  we're 
going,  that's  all." 

"  When  ? "  demanded  Polly  breathlessly. 

"  In  a  month." 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE    WHITNEYS'    LITTLE    PLAN. 

I  THINK  it's  a  mean  shame,"  cried  Joel,  on 
a  high  vindictive  key.     "  You've  had  burg- 
lars here  twice,  and  I  haven't  been  home." 

"You  speak  as  if  we  appointed  the  meeting, 
Joe,"  said  Ben  with  a  laugh. 

"  Well,  it's  mean,  anyway,"  cried  Joel,  with  a 
flash  of  his  black  eyes.  "  Now  there  won't  any 
come  again  in  an  age." 

"  Goodness,  I  hope  not,"  ejaculated  Mr.  King, 
lowering  his  newspaper  to  peer  over  its  top. 

"  I'd  have  floored  him,"  declared  Joel,  strik- 
ing out  splendidly  from  the  shoulder,  "  if  I'd 
only  have  been  here." 

"  All  very  well,"  said  Percy  negligently,  "  but 
you  weren't  here,"  and  he  laughed  softly. 
416 


THE    WHITNEYS     LITTLE    PLAN.  417 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  I  couldn't  have 
handled  the  burglar  ?  "  demanded  Joel  belliger- 
ently, and  advancing  on  Percy,  "  say  ?  Because 
if  you  do,  why,  I'll  try  a  bout  with  you." 

"  I  didn't  say  anything  what  you  could  or 
couldn't  do.  I  said  you  weren't  here,  and  you 
weren't.  That's  enough,"  and  Percy  turned  his 
back  on  him,  thrust  his  hands  in  the  pockets  of 
his  morning  jacket  and  stalked  to  the  window. 

Van  opened  his  mouth  to  speak,  then  thought 
better  of  it,  and  gave  a  low  whistle.  Joel  finding 
no  enthusiasm  for  tales  of  his  fighting  prowess, 
ran  off  to  interview  Dick  on  the  old  topic  of  the 
burglary  and  to  obtain  another  close  account  of 
its  details. 

"  To  think  Phronsie  saw  the  other  burglar 
five  years  ago,  and  now  Dick  was  on  hand  for 
this  one  —  those  two  babies,"  he  fumed,  "  and 
none  of  us  men  around." 

"  Percy,"  said  Van,  "  come  out  in  the  hall, 
will  you  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  "  asked  Percy  lazily. 


418  THE    WHITNEYS'    LITTLE    PLAN. 

"  Oh  !  you  come  along,"  cried  Van,  laying  hold 
of  his  jacket.  "  See  here,"  dropping  his  voice 
cautiously,  as  he  towed  him  successfully  out, 
"  let's  give  Joe  a  chance  to  see  a  burglar ;  he 
wants  to  so  terribly." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Percy,  with 
astonished  eyes,  his  hands  still  in  his  pockets. 

Van  burst  into  a  loud  laugh,  then  stopped 
short.  "  It'll  take  two  of  us,"  he  whispered. 

"  O,  Van  ! "  exclaimed  Percy,  and  pulling 
his  hands  from  their  resting  places,  he  clapped 
them  smartly  together. 

"  But  we  ought  not,  T  really  suppose,"  he 
said  at  last,  letting  them  fall  to  his  sides. 
"  Mamma  mightn't  like  it,  you  know." 

"  She  wouldn't  mind,"  said  Van,  yet  he  looked 
uneasy.  "  It  would  be  a  great  comfort  to  every 
one,  to  take  Joe  down.  He  does  yarn  so." 

"  It's  an  old  grudge  with  you,"  said  Percy 
pleasantly.  "  You  know  he  beat  you  when  you 
were  a  little  fellow,  and  he'd  just  come." 

"  As  if    I    cared  for    that,"  cried  Van    in    a 


THE    WHITNEYS     LITTLE    PLAN.  419 

dudgeon,  "  that  was  nothing.  I  didn't  half  try  ; 
and  he  went  at  me  like  a  country  sledge-ham- 
mer." 

"  Yes,  I  remember,"  Percy  nodded  placidly, 
"  and  you  got  all  worsted  and  knocked  into  a 
heap.  Everybody  knew  it." 

"  Do  you  suppose  I'd  pound  a  visitor  ?  "  cried 
Van  wrathfully,  his  cheeks  aflame.  "  Say, 
Percy  Whitney  ?  " 

"No,  I  don't,"  said  Percy,"  not  when 'twas  Joe." 

"  That's  just  it.     He  was  Polly's  brother." 

At  mention  of  Polly,  Percy's  color  rose,  and 
he  put  out  his  hand.  "  Beg  pardon,  Van,"  he 
said.  "  Here,  shake,  and  make  up.  I  forgot 
all  about  our  promise,"  he  added  penitently. 

"  I  forgot  it,  too,"  declared  Van,  quieting 
down,  and  thrusting  out  his  brown  palm  to  meet 
his  brother's.  "  Well,  I  don't  care  what  you 
say  if  you'll  only  go  halves  in  this  lark,"  he 
finished,  brightening  up. 

"Well,  I  will,"  said  Percy,  to  make  atone- 
ment. 


420  THE    WHITNEYS'    LITTLE    PLAN. 

"  Come  up  to  our  room,  then,  and  think  it 
out,"  cried  Van  gleefully,  flying  over  the  stairs 
three  at  a  bound.  "  Sh-sh  !  and  hurry  up  !  " 

Just  then  the  door-bell  gave  a  loud  peal,  and 
Jencks  the  butler  opened  it  to  receive  a  box 
about  two  feet  long  and  one  broad. 

"  For  Miss  Phronsie  Pepper,"  said  the  foot- 
man on  the  steps,  holding  it  out,  "  but  it's  not 
to  be  given  to  her  till  to-morrow." 

"  All  right,"  said  Jencks,  taking  it.  "  That's 
the  sixth  box  for  Miss  Phronsie  that  I've  took 
in  this  morning,"  he  soliloquized,  going  down  the 
hall  and  reading  the  address  carefully.  "  And 
all  the  same  size." 

"  Ding-a-ling,"  Jencks  laid  the  parcel  quickly 
on  one  of  the  oaken  chairs  in  the  hall,  and 
hurried  to  the  door,  to  be  met  by  another  par- 
cel for  "  Miss  Phronsie  Pepper  :  not  to  be  given 
to  her  till  to-morrow." 

"  And  the  i-dentical  size,"  he  ejaculated, 
squinting  at  it  as  he  went  back  to  pick  up  the 
first  parcel,  "  as  like  as  two  peas,  they  are." 


THE    WHITNEYS'    LITTLE    PLAN.  421 

• 

Upstairs  Polly  was  at  work  with  happy  fin- 
gers, Alexia  across  the  room,  asking  every  third 
minute,  "  Polly,  how  does  this  go  ?  O,  dear  !  I 
can't  do  anything  unless  you  look  and  see  if 
it's  right." 

And  Polly  would  turn  her  back  on  a  certain 
cloud  of  white  muslin  and  floating  lace,  and  fly- 
ing off  to  Alexia  to  give  the  necessary  criticism, 
with  a  pull  here  and  a  pat  there,  would  set  mat- 
ters straight,  presently  running  back  to  her  own 
work  again. 

"  You  see,"  she  said,  "  everything  must  be 
just  right,  for  next  to  Mamsie's  wedding,  this 
is  to  be  the  most  important  occasion,  Alexia 
Rhys,  that  we've  ever  known.  We  can't  have 
anything  too  nice  for  Phronsie's  getting-well 
party." 

"  That's  so,"  said  Alexia,  twitching  a  pink 
satin  bow  on  the  handle  of  a  flower-basket. 
"  O,  dear  me  !  this  bow  looks  like  everything  ! 
I've  tried  six  different  times  to  make  it  hang 
down  quite  careless  and  refined.  And  just  to 


422  THE    WHITNEYS     LITTLE    PLAN. 

provoke  me,  it  pokes  up  like  a  stiff  old  thing  in 
my  face.  Do  come  and  tie  it,  Polly." 

So  Polly  jumped  up  again,  and  laying  de- 
termined fingers  on  the  refractory  bow,  sent  it 
into  a  shape  that  Alexia  protested  was  "  too 
lovely  for  anything." 

"  Are  you  going  to  have  a  good-by  party  ?  " 
asked  Alexia  after  a  minute. 

"  I  suppose  so,"  said  Polly.  "  Grandpapa 
said  I  would  better,  but  oh,  dear  me,  I  don't 
believe  I  can  ever  get  through  with  it  in  all  this 
world,"  and  Polly  hid  her  face  behind  a  cloud 
of  muslin  that  was  slowly  coming  into  shape  as 
a  dress  for  one  of  Phronsie's  biggest  dolls. 

"  It  will  be  dreadful,"  said  Alexia,  with  a 
pathetic  little  sniff,  and  beginning  on  a  second 
pink  bow,  "  but  then,  you  know,  it's  your  duty 
to  go  off  nicely,  and  I'm  sure  you  can't  do  it, 
Polly,  without  a  farewell  party." 

"  Yes,"  said  Polly  slowly,  "  but  then  I'd  really 
rather  write  little  notes  to  all  the  girls.  But  I 
suppose  they'll  all  enjoy  the  party,"  she  added. 


THE    WHITNEYS'    LITTLE    PLAN.  423 

"  Indeed  they  will,"  declared  Alexia  quickly. 
"  Oh !  dear  me,  I  wish  I  was  going  with  you. 
You'll  have  a  perfectly  royal  time." 

"  I'm  going  to  work  hard  at  my  music,  you 
know,"  declared  Polly,  raising  her  head  sud- 
denly, a  glow  on  her  round  cheek. 

"  Oh !  well,  you'll  only  peg  away  at  it  when 
you've  a  mind,"  said  Alexia  carelessly,  and 
setting  lazy  stitches.  "  Most  of  the  time  you'll 
be  jaunting  around,  seeing  things,  and  having 
fun  generally.  Oh  !  don't  I  wish  I  was  going 
with  you." 

"  Alexia  Rhys  !  "  cried  Polly  in  astonishment, 
and  casting  her  needle  from  her,  she  deserted 
the  muslin  cloud  summarily.  "  Only  peg  away 
when  I  have  the  mind  ?  "  she  repeated  indig- 
nantly. "  Well,  I  shall  have  the  mind  most  of 
the  time,  I  can  tell  you.  Why,  that's  what  I'm 
going  abroad  for,  to  study  music.  How  can  I 
ever  teach  it,  if  I  don't  go,  pray  tell  ? "  she 
demanded,  and  now  her  eyes  flas'hed,  and  her 
hands  worked  nervously. 


424  THE    WHITNEYS      LITTLE    PLAN. 

"  Oh  !  nonsense,"  cried  Alexia,  not  looking  at 
the  face  before  her,  and  going  on  recklessly, 
"  as  if  that  meant  anything,  all  that  talk  about 
your  being  a  music-teacher,  Polly,"  and  she 
gave  a  little  incredulous  laugh. 

Polly  got  out  of  her  chair  somehow,  and 
stood  very  close  to  the  fingers  fussing  over  the 
pink  satin  bow.  "  Do  you  never  dare  say  that 
to  me  again,"  she  commanded  ;  "it's  the  whole 
of  my  life  to  ,be  a  music-teacher  —  the  very 
whole." 

"  O,  Polly  ! "  down  went  the  satin  bow  drag- 
ging with  it  Alexia's  spool  of  silk  and  the  dainty 
scissors.  "  Don't  —  don't  —  I  didn't  mean  any- 
thing; but  you  really  know  that  Mr.  King  will 
never  let  you  be  a  music-teacher  in  all  this 
world.  Never  ;  you  know  it,  Polly.  Oh  !  don't 
look  like  that  $  please  don't." 

"  He  will,"  said  Polly,  in  a  low  but  perfectly 
distinct  voice,  "  for  he  has  promised  me." 

"  Well,  he'll  get  out  of  it  somehow,"  said 
Alexia,  her  evil  genius  urging  her  on,  "  for  you 


THE    WHITNEYS'    LITTLE    PLAN.  425 

know,  Polly,  it  would  be  too  queer  for  any  of 
his  family,  and  —  and  a  girl  of  our  set,  to  turn 
out  a  music-teacher.  You  know,  Polly,  that  it 
would." 

And  Alexia  smiled  in  the  most  convincing 
way  and  jumped  up  to  throw  her  arm  around 
her  friend. 

"If  any  of  the  girls  in  our  set,"  said  Polly 
grandly,  and  stepping  off  from  Alexia,  "  wish  to 
draw  away  from  me,  they  can  do  so  now.  I  am 
to  be  a  music-teacher ;  I'm  perfectly  happy  to 
be  one.  I  want  you  all  to  understand.  Just  as 
happy  as  I  can  possibly  be  in  all  this  world. 
Why,  it's  what  I've  been  studying  and  working 
for,  and  how  else  do  you  suppose  I  can  ever 
repay  dear  Grandpapa  for  helping  me  ?  "  Her 
voice  broke,  and  she  stopped  a  minute,  clasping 
her  hands  tightly  to  keep  back  the  rush  of 
words. 

"  O,  Polly  ! "  cried  Alexia  in  dismay,  and  be- 
ginning to  whimper,  she  tried  again  to  put  her 
arm  around  her. 


426 


THE    WHITNEYS      LITLLE    PLAN. 


"  Don't  touch  me,"  said  Polly,  waving  her  off 
with  an  imperative  hand. 
"  O,  Polly  !   Polly  !  " 
"  And  the  rest  of  our  set  may  feel  as  you  do  ; 


"DON'T  TOUCH  ME,"  SAID  POLLY. 

then  I  don't  want  them  to  keep  on  liking  me," 
said  Polly,  with  her  most  superb  air,  and  drawing 
off  further  yet. 

"  Polly,  if  you  don't  stop,  you'll — you'll  kill 
me,"  gasped  Alexia,     "  0,  Polly !    I  don't  care 


THE    WHITNEYS     LITTLE    PLAN.  427 

what  you  are.  You  may  teach  all  day  if  you 
want  to,  and  I'll  help  get  you  scholars.  I'll  do 
anything,  and  so  will  all  the  girls,  I  know  they 
will.  Polly,  do  let  me  be  your  friend  just  as  I 
was.  O,  dear,  dear !  I  wish  I  hadn't  said  any- 
thing—  I  wish  I  had  bitten  my  tongue  off;  I 
didn't  think  you'd  mind  it  so  much,"  and  now 
Alexia  broke  down,  and  sobbed  outright. 

"You've  got  to  say  it's  glorious  to  teach," 
said  Polly,  unmoved,  and  with  her  highest  air 
on,  "  and  that  you're  glad  I'm  going  to  do  it." 

"  It's  glo-glorious  to  teach,"  mumbled  poor 
Alexia  behind  her  wet  handkerchief. 

"  And  I'm  glad  you're  going  to  do  it,"  dic- 
tated Polly  inflexibly. 

"  I'm  glad  you're  going  to  do  it,"  echoed 
Alexia  in  a  dismal  tone. 

"Then  I'll  be  your  friend  once  more,"  con- 
sented Polly  with  a  slow  step  toward  Alexia, 
"  that  is,  if  you  never  in  all  this  world  say  such 
a  dreadful  thing  again,  Alexia  Rhys." 

"  Don't  ask  me.     You  know  I  won't,"  prom- 


428  THE    WHITNEYS'    LITTLE    PLAN. 

ised  Alexia,  her  spirits  rising.  So  Polly  went 
over  to  her  and  set  a  kiss  on  her  wet  cheek, 
comforting  her  as  only  Polly  could,  and  before 
long  the  pink  satin  bow  with  the  spool  of  silk 
hanging  to  it,  and  the  scissors,  were  found  under 
the  table,  and  Polly  attacked  the  muslin  cloud 
with  redoubled  vigor,  and  the  girls'  voices 
carried  merry  laughter  and  scraps  of  happy 
talk,  and  Mrs.  Chatterton  stole  out  of  the  little 
reading-room  next  them  and  shut  herself  up  in 
her  own  apartment. 

"  Dear  me,  how  fine  that  doll's  gown  is  to  be, 
Polly,"  exclaimed  Alexia  after  a  bit.  "  Is  the 
lace  going  on  all  around  the  bottom  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Polly,  biting  off  her  thread,  and 
giving  the  muslin  breadths  a  little  shake ; 
"  Felicie  is  tucking  the  flounce  ;  then  I  shall 
have  to  sew  on  the  lace." 

"  How  many  dolls  are  there  to  refurbish  be- 
fore to-morrow  ?  "  asked  Alexia  suddenly. 

"Four  —  no,  five,"  said  Polly,  rapidly  count- 
ing ;  "  for  the  one  that  Grandpapa  gave  her 


THE    WHITNEYS'    LITTLE    PLAN.  429 

Christmas  before  last,  Celestine,  you  know,  does 
need  a  new  waist.  I  forgot  her.  But  that  don't 
count  the  new  sashes,  and  the  hair  ribbons  and 
the  lace  ruffles  around  the  necks;  I  guess  there 
are  almost  fifty  of  them.  Dear  me,  I  must 
hurry,"  and  she  began  to  sew  faster  yet. 

"  What  a  nuisance  all  those  dolls  are,"  said 
Alexia,  "  they  take  up  every  bit  of  your  spare 
time." 

"That  isn't  the  worst  of  it,"  said  Polly. 
"  Alexia,  I  don't  know  what  we  shall  do,  for 
Phronsie  works  over  them  till  she's  quite  tired 
out.  You  ought  to  see  her  this  morning." 

"  She's  up  in  the  play-house  at  it  now,  I  sup- 
pose," said  Alexia,  "  dressing  every  one  of  them 
for  the  party  to-morrow." 

"  Yes,"  said  Polly,  "  she  is." 

"  Well,  I  hope  no  one  will  give  her  a  doll  to- 
morrow," said  Alexia,  "  at  least  no  one  but  Mr. 
King. .  Of  course  he  will." 

"  Oh  !  no  one  else  will,"  declared  Polly  cheer- 
fully. "  Of  course  not.  Alexia." 


430  THE    WHITNEYS     LITTLE    PLAN. 

And  then  Jencks  walked  in  with  his  seven 
boxes  exactly  alike  as  to  size,  and  deposited 
them  solemnly  in  a  row  on  the  blue  and  white 
lounge.  "  For  Miss  Phronsie  Pepper,  and  not 
to  be  opened  till  to-morrow,  Miss  Mary." 

"  Polly,"  said  Alexia  in  a  stage  whisper,  and 
jumping  up  as  Jencks  disappeared  to  run  over 
to  the  row,  "  do  you  suppose  they  are  dolls  ?  " 

"  I  shall  die  if  they  are,"  declared  Polly 
desperately,  and  sitting  quite  still. 

"  They  surely  look  like  dolls  on  the  very 
covers,"  said  Alexia,  fingering  the  cords.  "  Would 
it  be  so  very  wrong  to  open  one  box,  and  just 
relieve  our  suspense  ?  Just  one,  Polly  ?  " 

"  No,  no,  don't,"  cried  Polly  sharply.  "They 
belong  to  Phronsie.  But  oh  dear  me  !  " 

"  And  just  think,"  said  Alexia,  like  a  Job's 
comforter,  and  looking  over  at  the  clock,  "  it's 
only  half-past  eleven.  Polly  Pepper,  there's 
time  for  oceans  more  to  come  in  yet." 

"  It's  perfectly  horrid  to  get  such  a  scrap  of 
an  outing,"  said  Joel  that  night,  sprawling  on 


THE    WHITNEYS'    LITTLE    PLAN.  431 

the  rug  before  the  library  fare,  "  only  four  days  ! 
Why  couldn't  Mr.  Marks  be  sick  longer  than 
that,  if  he  was  going  to  be  sick  at  all,  pray  ?  " 

"  These  four  days  will  give  you  strength  for 
your  'exams,'  won't  they,  Joe  ?"  asked  Van. 

Joel  turned  his  black  eyes  on  him  and  coolly 
said  Yes,  then  he  made  a  wry  face,  doubled 
up  a  bit  of  paper,  and  aimed  it  at  Van. 

Davie  sighed,  and  looked  up  anxiously.  "I 
hope  Mr.  Marks  will  come  out  all  right  so  that 
we  can  go  back  Monday." 

"  I  only  hope  he'll  stay  ill,"  said  Joel  affec- 
tionately. "  'Tisn't  safe  anyway  for  us  to  go 
back  Monday.  It  may  be  typhoid  fever,  you 
know,  Mamsie,"  looking  over  at  her. 

"  They'll  let  us  know  soon  enough  if  that's 
the  case,"  said  Mother  Fisher  in  the  lamp-light 
over  by  the  center-table.  "  No,  I  expect  your 
letter  to-morrow  will  say  '  Come  Monday.' " 

"  Well,  it's  a  downright  shame  for  us  to  be 
pulled  off  so  soon,"  cried  Joel  indignantly,  sit- 
ting straight. 


432  THE    WHITNEYS     LITTLE   PLAN. 

*'  Think  how  soon  the  term  ends,  Joe,'*  cried 
Polly,  "  then  you  have  such  a  long  outing."  She 
sighed  as  she  thought  of  the  separation  to  come, 
and  the  sea  between  them. 

"That's  nothing;  only  a  dreadful  little  time 
—  soon  be  gone,"  grunted  Joel,  turning  his  face 
to  look  at  the  brightly-leaping  flames  the  cool 
evening  had  made  necessary. 

Ben  glanced  over  at  Polly.  "  Don't  talk  of  the 
summer,"  he  was  going  to  say,  but  stopped  in 
time.  Phronsie  set  her  doll  carefully  in  the 
corner  of  the  sofa,  and  went  over  to  Joel. 

"  Does  your  head  ache  often  at  school,  Joel  ?  " 
she  asked,  softly  laying  her  cool  little  palm  on 
his  stubby  hair. 

"Yes,"  said  Joel,  "it  does,  awfully,  Phronsie; 
and  nobody  cares,  and  says  '  Stop  studying.' " 

A  shout  greeted  this. 

"That's  too  bad,"  said  Phronsie  pityingly, 
"  I  shall  just  write  and  ask  Mr.  Marks  if  he 
won't  let  you  stop  and  rest  when  it  aches." 

"'Twouldn't   do   any  good,   Phronsie,"   said 


THE    WHITNEYS'    LITTLE    PLAN.  433 

Joel,  "nothing  would.  He's  a  regular  old 
grinder,  Marks  is." 

"Mr.  Marks,"  said  Phronsie  slowly,  "I  don't 
know  who  you  mean  by  Marks,  Joel.  And  what 
is  a  grinder,  please  ? "  getting  down  on  her 
knees  to  look  in  his  face. 

"And  he  works  us  boys  so,  Phronsie  —  you 
can't  think,"  said  Joel,  ignoring  the  question. 

"  What  is  a  grinder,  Joel,  please  tell  me,"  re- 
peated Phronsie  with  gentle  persistence. 

"  Oh !  a  grinder  is  a  horrid  buffer,"  began  Joel 
impatiently. 

"  Joel,"  said  Mrs.  Fisher,  reprovingly.  The 
fire  in  her  black  eyes  was  not  pleasant  to  look 
at,  and  after  one  glance,  he  turned  back  to  the 
blazing  logs  once  more. 

"  I  can't  help  it,"  he  muttered,  picking  up  the 
tongs  to  poke  the  fire. 

"  Don't  ever  let  me  hear  that  excuse  from  a 
son  of  mine,"  said  Mother  Fisher  scornfully. 
"  Can't  help  it.  I'd  be  master  of  myself,  that's 
one  thing." 


434  THE    WHITNEYS'    LITTLE    PLAN. 

Joel  set  the  tongs  back  with  an  unsteady 
hand.  They  slipped  and  fell  to  the  hearth  with 
a  clang. 

"  Mamsie,  I  didn't  mean,"  he  began,  finding 
his  feet.  And  before  any  one  could  draw  a  long 
breath,  he  rushed  out  of  the  room. 

There  was  a  dreadful  pause.  Polly  clasped 
her  hands  tightly  together,  and  looked  at  her 
mother.  Mrs.  Fisher  quietly  put  her  sewing 
into  the  big  basket  and  got  out  of  her  chair. 

"  Oh  !  what  is  the  matter  with  Joey  ? "  cried 
Phronsie,  standing  quite  still  by  the  deserted 
hearth-rug.  "  Mamsie,  do  you  suppose  his 
head  aches  ?  " 

"  I  think  it  must,"  said  Mrs.  Fisher  gravely. 
Then  she  went  out  very  quietly  and  they  could 
hear  her  going  up  the  stairs. 

With  a  firm  step  she  went  into  her  own  room, 
and  turned  up  the  gas.  The  flash  revealed  Joel, 
face  downward  on  the  broad,  comfortable  sofa. 
Mrs.  Fisher  went  over  and  closed  the  door,  then 
came  to  his  side. 


THE   WHITNEYS'    LITTLE    PLAN.  435 

"  I  thought,  my  boy,"  she  said,  "  that  I  should 
find  you  here.  Now  then,  tell  mother  all  about 
it,"  and  lifting  his  head,  she  sat  down  and  took 
it  into  her  lap. 

"  O,  dear !'"  cried  Joel,  burrowing  deep  in  the 
comfortable  lap,  "  oh,  dear  —  oh,  dear ! " 


"NOW,  THEN,  TELL  MOTHER  ALL  ABOUT  IT." 

"  Now,  that  is  silly,  Josey,"  said  MotheV 
Fisher,  "  tell  me  at  once  what  all  this  trouble 
is  about,"  passing  her  firm  hands  over  his  hot 
forehead,  and  trying  to  look  in  his  face.  But 
he  struggled  to  turn  it  away  from  her. 

"  In  the  first  place  I  just  hate  school ! "  he 
exploded. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

JOEL. 

HATE  school?"  cried  Mother  Pepper. 
"  O,  Josey !  think  how  Ben  wanted  more 
schooling,  only  he  wouldn't  take  the  chance 
when  Mr.  King  offered  it  to  him  because  he  felt 
that  he  must  be  earning  money  as  soon  as 
possible.  O,  Josey !" 

That  "O,  Josey!"  cut  deeply.  Joel  winced  and 
burrowed  deeper  under  his  mother's  fingers. 

"  That's  just  it,"  he  cried.  "  Ben  wanted  it, 
and  I  don't.  I  hate  it,  and  I  don't  want  to 
go  back." 

"  Don't  want  to  go  back  ?  "  repeated  Mrs. 
Fisher  in  dismay. 

"  No,  I  don't.  The  fellows  are  always  twitting 
me,  and  every  one  gets  ahead  of  me,  and  I'm 
436 


JOEL.  437 

everlastingly  staying  in  from  ball-games  to  make 
up  lessons,  and  I'd  like  to  fire  the  books,  I 
would,"  cried  Joel  with  venom. 

Mrs.  Fisher  said  nothing,  but  the  hands  still 
stroked  the  brown  stubby  head  in  her  lap. 

"  And  nobody  cares  for  me  because  I  won't  be 
smart  like  the  others,  but  I  can't  help  it,  I  just 
hate  school !  "  finished  Joel  in  the  same  strain. 

"  Joel,"  said  Mother  Fisher  slowly,  "  if  that 
is  the  case,  I  shall  go  down  to  Mr.  King  and 
tell  him  that  we,  Father  Fisher  and  I,  Polly 
and  Phronsie,  will  not  go  abroad  with  him." 

Joel  bolted  upright  and  putting  down  his  two 
hands,  brought  his  black  eyes  to  bear  on  her. 

"What?" 

"  I  shall  go  directly  downstairs  and  tell  Mr. 
King  that  Father  Fisher  and  I,  Polly  and 
Phronsie,  will  not  go  abroad  with  him,"  re- 
peated his  mother  slowly  and  distinctly  while 
she  looked  him  fully  in  the  face. 

"You  can't  do  that,"  said  Joel  in  amazement. 
"  He's  engaged  the  state-rooms." 


438  JOEL. 

"That  makes  no  difference,"  said  Mrs.  Fisher, 
"  when  a  woman  has  a  boy  who  needs  her,  noth- 
ing should  stand  in  the  way.  And  I  must  stay 
at  home  and  take  care  of  you,  Joel." 

Joel  sprang  to  his  feet  and  began  to  prance 
up  and  down  the  floor.  "  I'm  big  enough  to 
take  care  of  myself,  mother,"  he  declared,  com- 
ing up  to  her,  to  prance  off  again. 

"So  I  thought,"  said  Mrs.  Fisher  composedly, 
"  or  I  shouldn't  have  placed  you  at  Mr.  Marks's 
school." 

"The  idea,  Mamsie,  of  your  staying. at  home 
to  take  care  of  me,"  said  Joel  excitedly.  "  Why, 
feel  of  that."  He  bared  his  arm,  and  coming 
up,  thrust  it  out  for  inspection.  "Isn't  that 
splendid  ?  I  do  verily  believe  I  could  whip 
any  fellow  in  school,  I  do,"  he  cried,  regard- 
ing his  muscles  affectionately.  "  If  you  don't 
believe  it,  just  pinch  them  hard.  You  don't 
mean  it  really,  Mamsie,  what  you  said  of  course. 
The  idea  of  staying  at  home  to  take  care  of  me," 
and  he  began  to  prance  again. 


JOEL.  439 

"  I  don't  care  how  many  boys  you  can  whip," 
observed  Mother  Fisher  coolly,  "  as  long  as  you 
can't  whip  your  own  self  when  you're  naughty, 
you're  too  weak  to  go  alone,  and  I  must  stay  at 
home." 

Joel  stopped  suddenly  and  looked  at  her.   . 

"And  before  I'd  give  up,  a  boy  of  thirteen, 
and  beg  to  be  taken  away  from  school  because 
the  lessons  were  hard,  and  I  didn't  like  to  study, 
I'd  work  myself  to  skin  and  bone  but  I'd  go 
through  creditably."  Mrs.  Fisher  sat  straight 
now  as  an  arrow  in  her  corner  of  the  sofa. 
"  I've  said  my  say,  Joel,"  she  finished  after  a 
pause,  "  and  now  I  shall  go  down  and  tell  Mr. 
King." 

"  Mother,"  howled  Joel,  dashing  across  the 
room  to  her,  "don't  go  !  I'll  stay,  I  will.  Don't 
say  that  again,  about  my  having  to  be  taken 
care  of  like  a  baby.  I'll  be  good,  mother,  and 
study." 

"Study  don't  amount  to  much  unless  you  are 
glad  of  the  chance,"  said  Mrs.  Fisher  sharply. 


440  JOEL. 

"  I  wouldn't  give  a  fig  for  it,  being  driven  to 
it,"  and  her  lips  curled  scornfully. 

Joel  wilted  miserably.  "  I  do  care  for  the 
chance,"  he  cried ;  "  just  try  me,  and  see." 

Mrs.  Fisher  took  his  sunburnt  face  between 
her  two  hands.  "  Do  you  really  wish  to  go 
back  to  school,  and  put  your  mind  on  your 
books  ?  Be  honest,  now." 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  said  Joel,  without  winking. 

"  Well,  you  never  told  me  a  lie,  and  I  know 
you  won't  begin  now,"  said  Mother  Fisher, 
slowly  releasing  him.  "  You  may  go  back,  Joe  ; 
I'll  trust  you." 

"  Phronsie,"  said  Jasper,  as  the  sound  of  the 
two  voices  could  be  heard  in  Mother  Fisher's 
room,  "  don't  you  want  to  come  into  my  den  ? 
I've  some  new  bugs  in  the  cabinet  —  found  a 
regular  beauty  to-day." 

Phronsie  stood  quite  still  just  where  Joel  had 
left  her;  her  hands  were  clasped  and  tears  were 
rolling  slowly  down  her  cheeks.  "  No,"  she  said, 
without  looking  at  him,  "Jasper,  I  don't." 


JOEL.  44I 

"  Do  come,  Phronsie,"  he  begged,  going  over 
to  her,  and  holding  out  his  hand.  "  You  can't 
think  how  nice  the  new  one  is,  with  yellow 
stripes  and  two  long  horns.  Come  and  see  it, 
Phronsie." 

"  No,  Jasper,"  said  the  child  quietly.  Then  in 
the  next  breath,  "  I  think  Joey  must  be  very  sick." 

"  Oh !  Mamsie  is  taking  care  of  him,  and 
he'll  soon  be  all  right,"  broke  in  Polly  cheerily. 
"  Do  go  with  Jasper,  Phronsie,  do,  dear."  She 
took  hold  of  the  clasped  hands,  and  smiled  up 
into  the  drooping  face. 

But  Phronsie  shook  her  head  and  said  "  No." 

"  If  Grandpapa  should  come  in  and  find  her 
so  'twould  be  very  dreadful !  "  exclaimed  Polly, 
looking  over  at  the  five  boys,  who  in  this  sudden 
emergency  were  knocked  speechless.  "  Do  let 
us  all  play  some  game.  Can't  some  one  think 
of  one  ? " 

"Let  us  play  'Twenty  Questions,'  "  proposed 
Jasper  brightly.  "  I'll  begin  it,  I've  thought  of 
something." 


442  JOEL. 

"That's  horrid,"  cried  Van,  finding  his  tongue, 
"none  of  us  want  to  play  that,  I'm  sure." 

"I  do,"  said  David.  "I  think  'Twenty  Ques- 
tions '  is  always  nice.  Is  it  animal,  vegetable 
or  mineral,  Jasper?" 

"  I'm  sick  of  it.  Do  play  something  not  quite 
as  old  as  the  hills,  I  beg." 

"  Well,  you  think  of  something  yourself,  old 
man,"  said  Jasper,  nodding  furiously  at  him. 
"  Hurry  up." 

"  I'd  rather  have  Polly  tell  a  story  than  any 
game  you  could  possibly  think  of,"  said  Van, 
going  over  to  her,  where  she  sat  on  the  rug  at 
Phronsie's  feet.  "Polly,  will  you?"  he  asked 
wheedlingly. 

"  Don't  ask  her  to-night,"  interposed  Jasper. 

"Yes,  I  shall.  It's  the  only  time  we  shall 
have,"  said  Van,  "before  we  go  back  to  school. 
Do,  Polly,  will  you  ? "  he  begged  again. 

"I  can't  think  of  the  first  thing,"  declared 
Polly,  pushing  back  little  rings  of  brown  hair 
from  her  forehead. 


JOEL.  443 

"Don't  try  to  think;  just  spin  it  off,"  said 
Van.  "  Now  begin." 

"You're  a  regular  nuisance,  Van  !  "  exclaimed 
Jasper  indignantly.  "Polly,  I  wouldn't  indulge 
him." 

"  I  know  Phronsie  wants  a  story ;  don't  you, 
Phronsie  ? "  asked  Van  artfully,  and  running 
over  to  peer  into  her  face. 

But  to  his  astonishment,  Phronsie  stood  per- 
fectly still.  "No,"  she  said  again,  "I  don't 
want  a  story ;  Joey  must  be  sick." 

"Jasper,"  cried  Polly  in  despair,  and  spring- 
ing up,  "  something  must  be  done.  Grandpapa's 
coming  ;  I  hear  him." 

"  Phronsie,"  said  Jasper,  bending  to  speak 
into  her  ear,  "do  you  know  you  are  making 
Polly  feel  very  unhappy  ?  Just  think  ;  the  next 
thing  I  don't  know  but  what  she'll  cry." 

Phronsie  unfolded  her  hands.  "  Give  me  your 
handkerchief,  Polly,"  she  said,  winking  back  the 
rest  of  the  tears. 

"  Now,  there's  a  dear,"  cried   Polly,  pulling 


444  JOEL. 

out  her  handkerchief  and  wiping  the  wet,  little 
face.  None  too  soon ;  the  door  opened  and 
Mr.  King'  came  in. 

"  Well  —  well  —  well !  "  he  exclaimed,  looking 
at  them  all  over  his  spectacles.  "  Playing  games, 
hey?" 

"We're  going  to,"  said  Ben  and  Jasper  together. 

"  No,  Polly  is  going  to  tell  a  story,"  said  Van 
loudly,  "  that  is,  if  you  want  to  hear  it,  Grand- 
papa. Do  say  you  do,"  he  begged,  going  over 
to  whisper  in  his  ear. 

"  I  want  immensely  to  hear  it !  "  declared  the 
old  gentleman,  pulling  up  an  easy-chair  to  the 
fireside.  "  There  now,"  sitting  down,  "  I'm 
fixed.  Now  proceed,  my  dear." 

Van  softly  clapped  his  hands.  "  Phronsie," 
Mr.  King  beckoned  to  her,  and  then  suggestively 
touched  his  knee,  "here,  dear." 

Phronsie  scurried  across  the  room  to  his  side. 
"  Yes,  Grandpapa." 

"  There,  up  she  goes ! "  sang  Mr.  King,  swing- 
ing her  into  position  on  his  lap.  "  Now  then, 


JOEL.  445 

Polly,  my  child,  we  are  all  ready  for  the  wonder- 
ful tale.  Stay,  where  is  Joel  ?  " 

"Joel  went  upstairs  a  little  while  ago,"  said 
Jasper  quickly.  "  Well,  now,  Polly,  do  begin." 

"  I'll  tell  how  we  went  to  buy  Phronsie's 
shoes,"  said  Polly,  drawing  up  an  ottoman  to 
Mr.  King's  side.  "  Now,  boys,  bring  your  chairs 
up." 

"Joel  ought  to  know  that  you  are  going  to 
tell  a  story,  Polly,"  said  Mr.  King.  "One  of 
you  boys  run  out  and  call  him  at  the  foot  of  the 
stairs." 

"  He's  in  Mamsie's  room,"  said  Ben.  "  I 
suppose  when  she  gets  through  with  him,  he'll 
come  down." 

"Oh!  ah!"  said  the  old  gentleman.  "Well, 
Polly,  then  perhaps  you  would  better  proceed." 

So  Polly  began  on  the  never  tiresome  recital, 
how  Phronsie  fell  down  the  stairs  leading  from 
the  kitchen  to  the  "  provision  room  "  in  the  little 
brown  house,  with  the  bread-knife  in  her  hand  ; 
and  how,  because  she  cut  her  thumb  so  that  it 


446  JOEL. 

bled  dreadfully,  mother  decided  that  she  could 
at  last  have  a  pair  of  shoes  bought  especially 
for  her  very  own  self ;  and  how  Deacon  Brown's 
old  horse  and  wagon  were  procured,  and  they 
all  set  forth,  except  mother,  and  how  they  rode 
to  town,  and  how  the  Beebes  were  just  as  good 
as  gold,  and  how  the  red-topped  shoes  fitted  as 
if  they  were  made  for  Phronsie's  feet,  and  how 
they  all  went  home,  and  how  Phronsie  danced 
around  the  kitchen  till  she  was  all  tired  out, 
and  then  went  to  bed  carrying  the  new  shoes 
with  her,  and  how  she  fell  asleep  with  — 

"Why,  I  declare,"  exclaimed  Polly,  reaching 
tin's,  denouement  in  a  delightfully  roundabout  way, 
"  if  she  isn't  asleep  now!  " 

And  indeed  she  was.  So  she  had  to  be  car- 
ried up  to  bed  in  the  same  old  way ;  only  this 
time  it  was  Jasper  instead  of  Polly,  that  held 
her. 

"  Don't  you  believe  we'd  better  put  it  off  till 
some  other  night  ? "  whispered  Percy  to  Van  on 
the  way  upstairs  to  bed,  the  library  party  having 


JOEL.  447 

broken  up  early.  "  A  fellow  don't  want  to  see 
a  burglar  on  top  of  the  time  Joel  has  had." 

"  No,  no,"  said  Van  ;  "  it'll  be  good  for  him, 
and  knock  the  other  thing  out  of  his  head, 
don't  you  see,  Percy  ?  I  should  want  something 
else  to  think  of  if  I  were  Joel.  You  can't  back 
out ;  you  promised,  you  know." 

"  Well,  and  I'll  do  it,"  said  Percy  testily. 

"  It's  no  use  trying  to  sleep,"  declared  Joel, 
in  the  middle  of  the  night,  and  kicking  the 
bedclothes  for  the  dozenth  time  into  a  roll 
at  the  foot,  "as  long  as  I  can  see  Mamsie's 
eyes.  I'll  just  get  up  and  tackle  that  Latin 
grammar  now.  Whew !  haven't  I  got  to  work, 
though.  Might  as  well  begin  at  it,"  and  he 
jumped  out  of  bed. 

Stepping  softly  over  to  the  door  that  led  into 
David's  little  room,  he  closed  it  carefully,  and 
with  a  sigh,  lighted  the  gas.  Then  he  went 
over  to  the  table  where  his  school  books  ought 
to  have  been.  But  instead,  the  space  was  piled 
with  a  great  variety  of  things  —  one  or  two 


448  JOEL. 

balls,  a  tennis  racket,  and  a  confusion  of  fishing 
tackle,  while  in  front,  the  last  thing  that  had 
occupied  him  that  day,  lay  a  book  of  artificial 
flies. 

Joel  set  his  teeth  together  hard,  and  looked  at 
them.  "  Suppose  I  sha'n't  get  much  of  this  sort 
of  thing  this  summer,"  he  muttered.  "  Here 
goes!"  and  without  trusting  himself  to  take 
another  look,  he  swept  them  all  off  down  to  the 
floor  and  into  a  corner. 

"  There,"  he  said,  standing  up  straight,  "  lie 
there,  will  you  ? "  But  they  loomed  up  in  a 
suggestive  heap,  and  his  fingers  trembled  to 
just  touch  them  once. 

"  I  must  cover  up  the  things,  or  else  I  know 
I'll  be  at  them,"  he  said,  and  hurrying  over  to 
the  bed,  he  dragged  off  the  coverlid.  "  Now," 
and  he  threw  it  over  the  fascinating  mass,  "I've 
got  to  study.  Dear  me,  where  are  my  books  ?  " 

For  the  next  five  minutes  Joel  had  enough  to 
do  to  collect  his  working  instruments,  and  when 
at  last  he  unearthed  them  from  the  corner  of 


JOEL.  449 

his  closet  where  he  had  thrown  them  under  a 
pile  of  boots,  he  was  tired  enough  to  sit  down. 

"  I  don't  know  which  to  go  at  first,"  he  groaned, 
whirling  the  leaves  of  the  upper  book.  "  It 
ought  to  be  Latin  —  but  then  it  ought  to  be 
algebra  just  as  much,  and  as  for  history  —  well 
there  —  here  goes,  I'll  take  them  as  they  come." 

With  a  very  red  face  Joel  plunged  into  the 
first  one  under  his  hand.  It  proved  to  be  the 
Latin  grammar,  and  with  a  grimace,  he  found 
the  page,  and  resting  his  elbows  on  the  table, 
he  seized  each  side  of  his  stubby  head  with  his 
hand.  "I'll  hang  on  to  my  hair,"  he  said,  and 
plunged  into  his  task. 

And  now  there  was  no  sound  in  the  room  but 
his  hard  breathing,  and  the  noise  he  made  turn- 
ing the  leaves,  for  he  very  soon  found  he  was 
obliged  to  go  back  many  lessons  to  understand 
how  to  approach  the  one  before  him  ;  and  with 
cheeks  growing  every  instant  more  scarlet  with 
shame  and  confusion,  the  drops  of  perspiration 
ran  down  his  forehead  and  fell  on  his  book. 


450  JOEL. 

"  Whew  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  it's  horribly  hot," 
and  pushing  back  his  book,  he  tiptoed  over  to 
the  other  window  and  softly  raised  it.  The 
cool  air  blew  into  his  face,  and  leaning  far  out 
into  the  dark  night,  he  drew  in  deep  breaths. 

"  I've  skinned  through  and  saved  my  neck  a 
thousand  times,"  he  reflected,  "  and  now  I've 
got  to  dig  like  sixty  to  make  up.  There's  Dave 
now,  sleeping  in  there  like  a  cat ;  he  don't  have 
anything  to  do,  but  to  run  ahead  of  the  class 
like  lightning  —  just  because  he  "  — 

"  Loves  it,"  something  seemed  to  sting  the 
words  into  him.  Joel  drew  in  his  head  and 
turned  abruptly  away  from  the  window. 

"  Pshaw !  well,  here  goes,"  he  exclaimed  again, 
throwing  himself  into  his  chair.  "  She  said  'I'd 
work  myself  to  skin  and  bone  but  I'd  go  through 
creditably.' "  Joel  bared  his  brown  arm  and 
regarded  it  critically.  "  I  wonder  how  'twould 
look  all  skin  and  bone,"  and  he  gave  a  short 
laugh. 

"  But  this  isn't  studying."     He  pulled  down 


JOEL.  451 

his  sleeve,  and  his  head  went  over  the  book 
again. 

Outside,  a  bright  blue  eye  applied  to  the  key 
hole,  gave  place  to  a  bright  brown  one,  till  such 
time  as  the  persons  to  whom  the  eyes  belonged, 
were  satisfied  as  to  the  condition  of  the  interior 
they  were  surveying. 

"  What  do  you  suppose  he's  doing  ?  "  whis- 
pered the  taller  figure,  putting  his  face  concealed 
under  a  black  mask,  closely  to  the  ear  of  the  other 
person,  whose  countenance  was  similarly  adorned. 

"  Don't  know,"  whispered  the  second  black 
mask.  "  He  acts  dreadfully  queer,  but  I  sup- 
pose he's  got  a  novel.  So  you  see  it's  our  duty 
to  break  it  up,"  he  added  virtuously. 

The  taller  figure  shook  his  head,  but  as  it 
was  very  dark  on  their  side  of  Joel's  door,  the 
movement  was  unobserved. 

"  Well,  come  on,"  whispered  the  second  black 
mask.  "  Are  you  ready  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Come  then." 


452 


JOEL. 


"O,  dear,  dear!"  grunted  Joel,  "I'd  rather 
chop  wood  as  I  used  to,  years  ago,  to  help  the 
little  brown  house  out,"  swinging  his  arms  up 
over  his  head.  "  Why  "  — 

And  he  was  left  in  darkness,  his  arms  falling 
nervelessly  to  his 
side,  while  a  cau- 
tious step  across 
the  room  made  his 
black  eyes  stand 
out  in  fright. 

"  A  burglar  —  a 
burglar !  "  flashed 
through  his  mind. 
He  held  his  breath 

hard  and  his  knees  knocked  together.  But 
Marnsie's  eyes  seemed  to  look  with  scorn  on 
him  again.  Joel  straightened  up,  clenched  his 
fist,  and  every  minute  expecting  to  be  knocked 
on  the  head,  he  crept  like  a  cat  to  the  further 
corner,  even  in  this  extremity,  grumbling  in- 
wardly because  Mr.  King  would  not  allow  fire- 


«l'D    RATHER   CHOP   WOOD." 


JOEL.  453 

arms.  "  If  I  only  had  them  now  !  "  he  thought. 
"Well,  I  must  get  my  club." 

But  there  was  no  time  to  get  it.  Joel  creep- 
ing along,  feeling  his  way  cautiously,  soon  knew 
that  there  were  two  burglars  instead  of  one  in 
the  room,  and  his  mind  was  made  up. 

"They'll  be  after  Grandpapa's  money,  sure," 
he  thought.  "  I  have  got  to  get  out,  and 
warn  him." 

But  how  ?  that  was  the  question. 

Getting  down  on  all-fours,  holding  his  breath, 
yet  with  never  a  thought  of  danger  to  himself ; 
he  crept  along  toward  the  door  leading  into 
the  hall,  then  stopped  and  rested  under  cover 
of  the  heavy  window  drapery.  But  as  quick  as 
a  flash,  two  dark  figures,  that  now,  his  eyes 
becoming  more  accustomed  to  the  darkness,  he 
could  dimly  distinguish,  reached  there  before 
him,  and  the  key  clicking  in  the  lock,  Joel 
knew  that  all  hope  from  escape  by  that  quarter 
was  gone. 

Like  a  cat,  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  swung  the 


454  JOEL. 

drapery  out  suddenly  toward  the  figures,  and  in 
the  next  second  hurled  himself  over  the  window- 
sill,  hanging  to  the  edge,  grasping  the  blind, 
crawling  to  the  next  window,  and  so  on  and 
over,  and  down,  down,  by  any  friendly  thing  he 
could  grasp,  to  the  ground. 

Two  black  masks  hung  over  the  deserted 
window-edge. 

"  Joe  —  Joe  !  it's  only  we  boys  —  Percy  and 
Van.  Joe  —  Joe  !" 

"He'll  be  killed!"  gasped  Van,  his  face  as 
white  as  Joel's  robe  fluttering  below  them  in 
his  wild  descent.  "  Stop  him,  Percy.  Oh  !  do 
stop  him." 

Percy  clung  to  the  window-sill,  and  danced  in 
distress.  "  Stop  him ! "  he  was  beyond  uttering 
anything  more. 

"  Yes,  O,  Joe  !  don't  you  see  it's  only  Percy 
and  Van  ? "  cried  Van  persuasively,  and  hang- 
ing out  the  window  to  the  imminent  danger  of 
adding  himself  to  Joel's  company. 

Percy  shoved  him  back.     "  He's  most  down," 


JOEL.  457 

he  said,  finding  his  breath.  "  Now  we'll  run 
downstairs  and  let  him  in." 

Van  flew  off  from  the  window.  "  I'll  go  ;  it's 
my  scrape,"  and  he  was  unfocking  the  door. 

"  I'm  the  oldest,"  said  Percy,  hurrying  to  get 
there  first.  "  I  ought  to  have  known  better." 

This  made  Van  furious,  and  pushing  Percy 
with  all  his  might,  he  wriggled  out  first  as  the 
door  flew  open,  and  not  forgetting  to  tiptoe 
down  the  hall,  he  hurried  along,  Percy  behind 
him,  to  hear  the  noise  of  men's  feet  coming 
over  the  stairs. 

Van  tried  to  rush  forward  shouting,  "Thomas, 
it's  we  boys  —  Percy  and  Van."  Instead,  he 
only  succeeded  in  the  darkness,  in  stumbling 
over  a  chair,  and  falling  flat  with  it  amid  a 
frightful  racket  that  drowned  his  voice. 

Old  Mr.  King  who  had  been  awakened  by 
the  previous  noise,  and  rung  his  burglar  alarm 
that  connected  with  Thomas  and  Jencks'  rooms 
in  the  stable,  now  cried  out  from  his  doorway, 
"  Make  quick  work,  Thomas,"  and  Percy  saw 


458  JOEL. 

the  gleam  of  a  pistol  held  high  in  Thorna? 
hand. 

Up  with  a  rush  came  bare  feet  over  the 
back  stairs ;  a  flutter  of  something  white,  and 
Joel  sprang  in  between  them.  "It's  Percy  — 
it's  Percy  !  "  he  screamed,  "  don't  you  see, 
Thomas  ?  " 

"  I'm  Percy  —  don't  shoot!  "  the  tallest  bu^ 
lar  kept  saying  without  intermission,  while  the 
flaring  of  candles  and  frightened  voices,  told  of 
the  aroused  household. 

"  Make  quick  work,  Jencks !  "  shouted  Mr. 
King  from  his  doorway,  to  add  to  the  general 
din. 

Thomas,  whose  blood  was  up,  determined  once 
for  all  to  put  an  end  to  the  profession  of  burglary 
as  far  as  his  master's  house  was  concerned,  now 
drew  nearer,  steadying  his  pistol  and  trying  to 
sight  the  nearest  fellow.  This  proved  to  be 
Van,  now  struggling  to  his  feet. 

Joel  took  one  wild  step  forward.  "  Thomas  — 
don't  shoot !  It's  Van  !  " 


JOEL.  459 

"  Make  quick  work,  Thomas !  "  called  Mr. 
King. 

There  was  but  a  moment  in  which  to  decide. 
It  was  either  Van  or  he  ;  and  in  an  instant  Joel 
had  stepped  in  front  of  the  pistol. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

OF    MANY   THINGS. 

VAN  threw  his  arms  around  Joel. 
"  Make  quick  work,  Thomas,"  called 
Mr.  King  from  his  doorway.     The   pistol   fell 
from  Thomas's  hand.     "  I've  shot  one  of   the 
boys.     Och,  murther  !  "  he  screamed. 

And  everybody  rushing  up,  supposed  it  was 
Van,  who  was  writhing  and  screaming  unintel 
ligibly  in  the  corner. 

"Oh!  I've  killed  him,"  they  finally  made 
out. 

«  Who  —  who  ?     O,  Van  !  who  ? " 

"Joey,"  screamed  Van,  bending  over  a  white 
heap  on  the  floor.  "  Oh  !  make  him  get  up. 
Oh!  I've  killed  him." 

The  mask  was  hanging  by  one  end  from  his 
460 


OF    MANY    THINGS.  461 

white  face,  and  his  eyes  protruded  wildly.  Up 
flew  another  figure  adorned  with  a  second  black 
mask. 

"  No,  no,  it  was  I,"  and  Percy  rushed  for- 
ward with  an  "O,  Joel,  Joel  !  " 

Somebody  lighted  the  gas,  that  flashed  sud- 
denly over  the  terrified  group,  and  somebody 
else  lifted  the  heap  from  the  corner.  And  as 
they  did  so,  Joel  stirred  and  opened  his  eyes. 

"Don't  make  such  a  fuss,"  he  said  crossly. 
One  hand  had  gripped  the  sleeve  of  his  night- 
dress, trying  to  hold  it  up  in  a  little  wad  on  the 
shoulder,  the  blood  pouring  down  the  arm.  At 
sight  of  this,  Van  collapsed  and  slid  to  the  floor. 

"  Don't  frighten  Mamsie,"  said  Joel,  his  head 
drooping,  despite  his  efforts  to  hold  it  up.  "I'm 
all  right ;  nothing  but  a  scratch.  Ugh !  let  me 
be,  will  you  ? "  to  Mr.  Whitney  and  Jasper,  who 
were  trying  to  support  him. 

And  Mother  Fisher,  for  the  first  time  since 
the  children  had  known  her,  lost  her  self- 
control. 


462  OF    MANY    THINGS. 

"  O,  Joey !  and  mother  was  cross  to  you," 
she  could  only  sob  as  she  reached  him. 

Polly,  at  a  nod  from  the  little  doctor's  night- 
cap and  a  few  hurried  words,  ran  as  in  a  dream, 
for  the  case  of  instruments  in  his  bedroom. 

"All  right,  Mamsie  !"  exclaimed  Joel  in  sur- 
prise, and  trying  to  stagger  to  his  feet. 

"  Good  heavens  and  earth  !  "  cried  old  Mr. 
King,  approaching.  u  What  ?  oh  !  it's  mon- 
strous—  Joel ! " 

"  Och,  murther !  "  Thomas  sidled  along  the 
edge  of  the  group,  rolling  fearful  eyes  at  them, 
and  repeating  over  and  over,  "  I've  shot  that 
boy  —  that  boy  !  " 

All  this  occupied  but  an  instant,  and  Joel  was 
laid  on  his  bed,  and  the  wound  which  proved 
to  be  only  a  flesh  one,  the  ball  cutting  a  little 
furrow  as  it  grazed  the  shoulder,  was  dressed, 
and  everybody  drew  a  long  breath.  "  Tell  Van 
that  I'm  all  right,"  Joel  kept  saying  all  the 
time. 

Polly  undertook  to  do  this. 


OF    MANY    THINGS.  463 

"Van  —  Van!"  she  cried,  running  out  into 
the  hall  to  lay  a  shaking  hand  on  his  arm, 
where  he  lay  on  the  floor.  "  Joel  sent  me  to 
say  that  he  is  all  right." 

"  Polly,  I've  killed  him  !  "  Van  thrust  his  head 


"O,  JOEY!     AND   MOTHER    WAS   CROSS    TO    YOU." 

up  suddenly  and  looked  at  her,  with  wild  eyes. 
"  I  have  —  don't  speak  to  me,  or  look  at  me. 
I've  killed  Joel!" 

"Take  off   this-  dreadful  thing,"  said   Polly 
with  a  shiver,  and    kneeling  down,  she  seized 


464  OF    MANY    THINGS. 

the  strings  that  tied  the  mask.  "  O,  dear !  it's 
all  in  a  knot.  Wait,  I'll  get  the  scissors,"  and 
she  found  her  feet,  and  ran  off  to  her  room. 

"  Now  you  are  all  right ;"  he  gave  a  little  sob 
as  the  mask  tumbled  off.  "  Oh !  how  could 
you  ?  "  she  wanted  to  say,  but  Van's  distress 
was  too  dreadful  for  anything  but  comfort. 

"  Don't  you  see,"  said  Polly,  sitting  down  on 
the  floor  and  cuddling  up  his  head  in  her  lap, 
"that  Joel  is  really  all  right  now?  Suppose  we 
hadn't  a  Father  Fisher  who  was  a  doctor,  what 
should  we  do  then  ?  "  and  she  even  managed  a 
faint  laugh. 

"O,  dear!  but  I've  killed  Joel."  Van  cov- 
ered his  face  with  the  folds  of  her  flannel  dress 
and  wailed  on. 

"  Now,  just  see  here,  Van  Whitney,"  said 
Polly,  with  the  air  of  authority,  "  I  tell  you  that 
Joel  is  all  right  now.  Don't  you  say  that  again 
—  not  once  more,  Vanny." 

"  But  I  have  ki  —  I  mean  I  saw  Thomas 
shoot,  and  I  couldn't  stop  him,"  and  Van  writhed 


OF    MANY    THINGS.  465 

)  • 
fearfully,   ending   with  a  scream   "I've  ki "  — 

but  Polly,  clapping  her  hand  over  his  mouth, 
kept  the  words  back. 

Meanwhile  Percy  had  rushed  out  of  the 
house. 

"  Oh !  "  cried  Polly,  when  this  new  alarm 
sprang  up,  and  everybody  was  running  hither 
and  thither  to  comfort  him  by  the  assurance 
that  Joel  was  not  much  hurt,  "  do,  Uncle  Mason 
and  Jasper,  let  me  go  with  you." 

"  No,  no,  you  stay  here,  Polly,"  cried  Jasper, 
throwing  wide  the  heavy  front  door.  "  Brother 
Mason  and  I  will  find  him.  Don't  worry,  Polly." 

"  I  know  I  could  help,"  said  Polly,  hanging 
over  the  stair-railing.  "  Oh  !  do  let  me,"  she 
begged. 

"No,  no,  child,"  said  Mr.  Whitney,  with  pal- 
ing lips.  "  Stay  where  you  are,  and  take  care 
of  the  others.  Now,  then,  Jasper,  is  Jencks 
ready  with  the  lantern  ?  " 

"  All  right,"  said  Jasper.  "  Come  on.  " 

Polly,  longing  to  fly  to  the  window  to  watch 


466  OF   MANY   THINGS. 

at  least,  the  lantern's  twinkling  light  across  the 
lawn,  hurried  off  to  comfort  Aunt  Whitney,  who 
at  this  new  stage  in  the  affairs,  was  walking  her 
room,  biting  her  lips  to  keep  from  screaming 
the  terror  that  clutched  at  her  heart. 

"  O,  Polly  !  "  she  cried,  "  I'm  so  glad  you've 
come.  I  should  die  if  left  alone  here  much 
longer;"  her  soft  hair  floated  down  the  white 
robe,  and  the  blue  eyes  were  filled  with  tears. 
"  Do  tell  me,  don't  you  think  they  will  find 
Percy  ? " 

"  Yes,  indeed !  "  declared  Polly,  cuddling  up 
to  the  little  woman.  "  O,  Aunty !  remember 
when  Dicky's  leg  was  broken." 

"  But  this  is  much  worse,"  said  Mrs.  Whit- 
ney, sobbing,  and  holding  close  to  Polly's  warm 
hand. 

"  But  we  thought  he  was  dead,"  and  Polly 
gave  a  little  shiver. 

"Don't — don't,"  begged  Mrs.  Whitney,  put- 
ting her  hand  over  her  eyes  ;  "  O,  Polly  !  don't." 

"  But  he  wasn't,  you  see,  Aunty,"  Polly  hur- 


OF    MANY    THINGS.  467 

ried  on,  "  and  so  now  you  know  it  will  come 
out  all  right  about  Per —  There  !  Oh  !  they've 
found  him,"  as  a  shout  from  the  lawn  rang  out. 

"Do  you  suppose  it,  Polly?"  cried  Mrs. 
Whitney,  taking  down  her  hand  to  clasp  it  over 
its  fellow.  "  Oh  !  do  run  to  the  window  and 
see." 

So  Polly  ran  to  the  window  in  the  next  room 
that  overlooked  that  part  of  the  lawn  where 
Mr.  Whitney  and  Jasper  were  searching,  and 
strained  her  gaze  up  and  down,  and  in  every 
direction. 

"  Have  they  ?  oh  !  have  they  ?  "  cried  Mrs. 
Whitney.  "  O,  Polly  !  do  tell  me." 

"I  don't  see  any  of  them,"  said  Polly,  lis- 
tening eagerly  for  another  cry,  "  but  I  do  be- 
lieve they've  found  him." 

"  Do  come  back,"  implored  Mrs.  Whitney ; 
"  there,  now,  don't  go  again,  Polly,"  as  Polly 
hurried  to  her  side,  "but  just  hold  my  hand." 

"  I  will,"  said  Polly,  "just  as  tight  as  I  can, 
Aunty." 


468  OK    MANY    THINGS. 

"Oh  —  oh!  Percy  is  so  much  worse  off  than 
Joel,"  wailed  Mrs.  Whitney.  "  Oh  !  to  do  such 
a  thing,  Polly,"  she  groaned. 

"They  only  meant  it  in  fun,"  said  Polly, 
swallowing  hard  the  lump  in  her  throat,  "  don't 
let  us  talk  about  it,  Aunty." 

"  And  Van,"  cried  Mrs.  Whitney,  running  on. 
"  Oh !  my  poor,  poor  boys.  Will  your  mother 
ever  forgive  me,  Polly  ? " 

"  O,  Aunty !  don't  talk  so,"  said  Polly  ten- 
derly ;  "  and  we  both  ought  to  be  out  helping. 
There's  Van,  Aunty ;  just  think  how  he  feels." 

"  I  can't  go  near  him,"  cried  Mrs.  Whitney 
in  distress,  "  as  long  as  he  is  in  Joel's  room, 
for  I  can't  see  your  mother's  eyes,  Polly.  It 
would  kill  me  to  have  her  look  at  me." 

The  door  opened  at  this,  and  the  trail  of  a 
long  silken  wrapper  was  heard  on  the  floor. 

"  Mrs.  Chatterton,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney,  rais- 
ing her  head  and  looking  at  the  new-comer 
with  as  much  anger  as  her  gentle  face  could 
contain,  "  I  really  cannot  see  you  in  my  room 


OK    MANY    THINGS.  469 

to-night.  Excuse  me,  but  I  am  unstrung  by  all 
that  has  occurred.  Will  you  please  not  come 
in  "  — 

"  I  thought  I  might  sit  with  you,"  said  Mrs. 
Chatterton.  In  the  brief  interval  since  the 
arousing  of  the  household,  she  had  contrived  to 
make  a  perfect  breakfast  toilet,  and  she  folded 
her  hands  over  her  handsome  gown.  "Polly 
might  then  be  with  her  mother.  But  if  you 
don't  wish  me 'to  remain,  I  will  go." 

"  I  do  not  need  you,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney, 
decidedly,  and  she  turned  to  Polly  again. 

Mrs.  Chatterton  moved  away,  and  closed  the 
door  after  her. 

"  Aunty,"  said  Polly,  "  she  really  wants  to 
help  you." 

"  Polly,  you  needn't  say  anything  about  it," 
exclaimed  Mrs.  Whitney,  like  many  other  gentle 
creatures,  when  roused,  becoming  unreasonably 
prejudiced  ;  "  I  cannot  bear  the  sight  of  that 
woman.  She  has  been  here  so  long,  and  is  so 
intensely  disagreeable  to  us  all." 


470  OF    MANY    THINGS. 

Polly's  eyes  became  very  round,  and  she  held 
her  breath  in  astonishment. 

"  Don't  look  so,  child,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney  at 
length,  "you  don't  understand,  my  dear.  But 
you  would  if  you  were  in  my  place  "  — 

"She's  sorry  for  it,"  said  Polly,  finding  her 
tongue  at  last. 

"And  father  is  nearly  worn  out  with  her," 
continued  Mrs.  Whitney.  "  And  now  to  come 
parading  her  attentions  upon  me,  it"  — 

"  Who  —  who  ?  "  Dicky,  now  that  the  ex- 
citement in  Joel's  room  had  died  down,  had 
lost  his  relish  for  it,  and  he  now  pranced  into 
Mrs.  Whitney's  room.  "  Who,  mamma  ?  " 

"  Mrs.  Chatterton,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney  un- 
guardedly. "  She  has  disagreeably  intruded 
herself  upon  me." 

"  Has  she  been  in  here  ? "  asked  Dick  in 
astonishment. 

"  Yes ;  asking  if  she  can  sit  with  me,"  and 
Polly  started  at  the  look  in  the  usually  soft 
blue  eyes. 


OF    MANY   THINGS.  471 

"And  you  wouldn't  let  her?"  asked  Dick, 
stopping  short  and  regarding  his  mother  curi- 
ously. 

"  Of  course  not,  Dicky,"  she  made  haste  to 
say. 

"  Then  I  think  you  did  very  wrong,"  declared 
Dick  flatly. 

"  O,  Dick !  "  exclaimed  Polly  in  consterna- 
tion. 

"  And  you  don't  act  like  my  mother  at  all," 
said  Dick,  standing  quite  stiffly  on  his  sturdy 
legs,  and  gazing  at  her  with  disapprobation. 
"  Didn't  Mrs.  Chatterton  save  my  life,"  he  ex- 
ploded, "when  the  real  burglar  was  going  for 
me  ?  Say,  didn't  she  ?  "  he  cried. 

"  I  have  yet  to  find  out  that  is  the  truth,"  said 
Mrs.  Whitney,  finding  her  voice.  "  O,  Dicky," 
she  added,  hurt  that  he  should  defend  another, 
worst  of  all,  Mrs.  Chatterton,  "  don't  talk  about 
her." 

"  But  I  ought  to  talk  about  her,"  persisted 
Dick.  "  She  saved  me  as  much  as  she  could. 


472  OF    MANY    THINGS. 

Because  she  won't  let  anybody  thank  her,  I 
like  her  more  myself.  I'm  going  to  stay  with 
her." 

With  that,  he  held  his  head  high,  and  marched 
to  the  door. 

"Dick,  Dick!"  called  his  mother,  "come 
back,  dear." 

Dick  slowly  turned  and  made  his  way  to  her 
side,  but  he  still  regarded  her  with  disapproval. 

"  Dick,  I  want  you  to  go  to  Mrs.  Chatterton's 
room,  and  say  that  I  am  sorry  I  refused  her 
offer  to  help,  and  that  I  would  like  to  have  her 
sit  with  me.  Remember,  say  I  am  sorry  I  re- 
fused her  offer  to  help,  Dicky."  She  leaned 
forward  and  kissed  her  boy,  her  long,  soft  hair 
falling  like  a  veil  around  the  two  faces. 

Dick  threw  his  arms  around  her  neck. 

"  Now,  you're  a  brick ! "  he  declared  im- 
pulsively. "  I'll  bring  the  old  lady,  and  we'll 
both  sit  with  you." 

So  Polly  was  free  to  run  back  to  Mamsie. 
On  the  way  there  she  opened  the  door  of  Phron- 


OF    MANY   THINGS.  473 

sie's  little  room,  just  out  of  Father  and  Mother 
Fisher's. 

"  How  good  it  is  that  she  sleeps  through  it 
all,"  said  Polly,  listening  to  the  regular  breath- 
ing. Then  she  stole  across  the  room  and  stood 
beside  the  small  bed. 

"She  looks  just  as  she  did  the  night  she  took 
her  new  shoes  to  bed,"  thought  Polly;  "one 
hand  is  over  her  head,  exactly  as  it  was  then. 
O,  Phronsie  !  to  think  that  you're  to  have  no 
party  to-morrow,"  and  she  turned  off  with  a 
sigh,  went  out,  and  closed  the  door. 

"  Percy's  here  —  all  right !  "  cried  Jasper, 
running  over  the  stairs  to  meet  her  at  the  top. 

His  eyes  were  gleaming  with  excitement,  and 
his  face  was  torn  and  bleeding. 

"  Are  you  hurt  ? "  cried  Polly,  feeling  as  if 
the  whole  family  were  bound  to  destruction. 
"  O,  Jasper!  did  you  fall  ?  " 

"  Nothing  but  a  scratch.  I  was  fool  enough 
to  forget  the  ledge,  and  walked  off  for  my 
pains  "  — 


474  OF    MANY    THINGS. 

"  O,  Jasper  !  "  cried  Polly,  with  paling  cheeks, 
"  let  me  bathe  it  for  you,  do ;  "  her  strength  be- 


"HE    SAID    HE   WAS    GOING   TO    RUN    OFF    TO   SEA." 

gan  to  return  at  the  thought  of  action,  and  she 
sprang  for  a  basin -of  water. 


OF    MANY   THINGS.  475 

"  Nonsense.  No,  Polly  !  "  cried  Jasper,  with 
a  quick  hand  detaining  her,  "it's  nothing  but 
a  mere  scratch,  I  tell  you,  but  I  suppose  it  looks 
terribly.  I'll  go  and  wash  it  off.  Run  and  tell 
his  mother  that  Percy  is  found." 

"  Is  he  all  right  ? "  asked  Polly  fearfully, 
holding  her  breath,  for  the  answer. 

"  Sound  as  a  nut,"  declared  Jasper ;  "  we 
found  him  streaking  it  down  the  locust  path  ; 
he  said  he  was  going  to  run  off  to  sea." 

•  "  Run  off  to  sea !  "  repeated  Polly.  "  O, 
Jasper ! " 

"Well,  he  was  so  frightened,  of  course  he 
didn't  know  what  to  say,"  replied  Jasper. 
"  And  ashamed,  too,  he  didn't  care  to  show  his 
head  at  home.  I  don't  know  as  I  blame  him, 
Polly.  Well,  it's  too  bad  about  Phronsie's 
party,  isn't  it  ? "  added  Jasper,  mopping  up  his 
face  as  the  two  went  down  the  hall. 

"  Yes,"  said  Polly  with  a  sigh,  stopping  at 
Mrs.  Whitney's  door,  "  but,  oh !  think  how 
happy  we  are  now  that  Percy  is  safe,  Jasper." 


47  OF    MANY    THINGS. 

"  Still,  it's  too  bad  for  Phronsie,"  repeated 
Jasper,  looking  back. 

But  Joel  flatly  declared  that  the  first  one  that 
even  so  much  as  hinted  that  a  single  item  of 
the  arrangements  for  Phronsie's  getting-well 
party  should  be  changed,  he'd  make  it  dis- 
agreeable as  only  he  knew  how,  for  that  one 
when  he  got  up  from  his  bed.  "  Yes,  sir  !  "  and 
he  scolded,  and  fretted,  and  fussed,  and  laid 
down  the  law  so  generally  to  all,  not  excepting 
the  doctor,  that  at  last  it  was  decided  to  let  the 
party  go  on.  Then  he  lay  back  against  the  pil- 
lows quite  exhausted,  but  with  a  beatific  face. 

"  I  should  think  you  would  be  tired,  Joe." 
exclaimed  Jasper,  "  you've  bullied  us  so.  Dear 
me  !  people  ought  to  be  angelic  when  they're 
sick,  at  least." 

"  If  you'd  had  him  to  take  care  of  as  I  did," 
observed  Dr.  Fisher,  "you'd  know  better;  good- 
ness me !  the  little  brown  house  scarcely  held 
him  when  he  was  getting  over  the  measles." 

''  What's  the  use  of  being  sick,"  said  Joel 


OF    MANY   THINGS.  477 

reflectively,  turning  on  his  pillow,  "  if  you  can't 
make  people  stand  round,  I'd  like  to  know. 
Now  that  point's  settled  about  Phronsie's  party, 
won't  you  all  go  out?  I'd  like  to  speak  to  Father 
Fisher  a  moment." 

"  Not  me,  Joey  ?  "  said  Mother  Fisher  at  the 
head  of  the  bed,  holding  her  boy's  hand. 

"  Yes  ;  you,  too,  Mamsie,"  said  Joel,  giving 
her  an  affectionate  glance,  "  it's  something  that 
only  the  doctor  and  I  are  to  know." 

"  You're  not  hurt  anywhere  else,  are  you, 
Joey?"  said  his  mother,  a  sudden  alarm  leaping 
to  her  black  eyes. 

"  Not  a  scratch,"  said  Joel  promptly.  "  I 
want  to  see  Father  Fisher  about  something. 
Some  time  you  shall  know,  Mamsie."  He  gave 
her  hand  a  sudden  pressure,  then  let  it  go. 

"  Perhaps  you  better  step  out,  my  dear,"  said 
the  little  doctor,  nodding  to  his  wife.  So  Mrs. 
Fisher,  smothering  a  sigh,  went  out  reluctantly. 

"  All  out  ? "  asked  Joel,  trying  to  raise  his 
head  to  see  for  himself. 


478  OF    MANY    THINGS. 

"  Every  soul,"  said  Dr.  Fisher. 

'*  Well,  see  here,  will  you,"  said  Joel,  point- 
ing to  the  table,  the  schoolbooks  scattered  as 
lie  had  left  them,  "  pack  those  things  all  away 
in  the  closet  on  the  shelf,  you  know,  and  put 
the  rubbish  or)  the  floor  there,  back  on  the 
table  ? " 

Dr.  Fisher  could  not  for  his  life,  refrain  from 
asking  curiously,  as  he  did  as  requested,  "  Been 
having  a  pull  at  the  books,  eh,  Joe  ? " 

"  Um  —  um  —  maybe,"  said  Joel,  twisting 
uneasily.  "  Well,  now,  come  here,  please, 
Father  Fisher." 

The  little  man  turned  away  from  the  table, 
with  its  sprawling  array  of  delightful  things,  to 
stand  by  the  bedside. 

"  You  must  get  me  well  as  soon  as  you  can," 
said  Joel  confidentially. 

"  All  right,  I  understand,"  Dr.  Fisher  nodded 
professionally. 

"  And  whatever  you  say,  don't  let  it  be  that 
I  must  be  careful  of  my  eyes,"  said  Joel. 


OF    MANY    THINGS.  479 

"All  right;  that  is,  if  you  get  up  quickly," 
agreed  the  doctor. 

"  That's  all,"  said  Joel  in  great  -satisfaction. 
"  Now,  call  Mamsie  in  and  the  others." 

And  in  the  morning,  no  one  told  Phronsie 
what  had  happened  the  night  before.  She  only 
knew  that  Joel  was  not  very  well,  and  was  go- 
ing to  keep  his  room  ;  all  her  pleadings  to  do 
something  for  him  being  set  one  side  by  Grand- 
papa's demands  upon  her  instant  attention  when- 
ever the  idea  suggested  itself  to  her.  And  so 
the  time  wore  along  till  the  party  began. 

Alexia  was  the  first  to  arrive,  her  bowl  of 
orange  jelly  in  her  hand,  and  after  her,  a  tall 
slight  figure  jumped  from  the  carriage,  hev 
flaxen  hair  streaming  out  in  two  pale  braids. 

"I  thought  I'd  pick  Cathie  up,"  said  Alexia 
carelessly;  "had  to  pass  her  door,  you  know. 
Oh  !  dear  me,  what  perfectly  dreadful  times  you 
had  last  night,  Polly  Pepper." 

"  I  didn't  bring  macaroons,"  said  Cathie; 
"as  I  really  think  that  they  wouldn't  be  good 


480  OF    MANY   THINGS. 

for  Phronsie.  Besides,  I've  forgotten  how  to 
make  them,  and  our  cook  was  cross  and  said  I 
shouldn't  come  into  her  kitchen.  But  I  bought 
a  doll  for  Phronsie  :  my  mother  said  it  would  be 
a  great  deal  more  sensible  present,"  and  she 
hugged  the  long  box  under  her  arm  with  great 
satisfaction. 

"  O,  dear!  dear!"  groaned  Alexia,  falling 
back  with  Polly  as  the  three  raced  along  the 
hall,  "  she  showed  it  to  me  in  the  carriage,  and 
it's  a  perfect  guy,  beside  counting  one  more." 

But  afflictions  like  this  were  small  to  Polly 
now,  and  although  for  the  next  hour  it  rained 
dolls  into  Phronsie's  puzzled  hands,  Polly  helped 
her  to  thank  the  givers  and  to  dispose  them 
safely  on  neighboring  chairs  and  tables  and 
sofas. 

Mrs.  Chatterton's  was  the  pattern  of  old  Mr. 
King's  phonograph  doll,  at  which  discovery  he 
turned  upon  her  with  venom  in  his  eye. 

"  My  gift  to  my  little  granddaughter,"  taking 
especial  care  to  emphasize  the  relationship, 


OF   MANY   THINGS.  481 

"  has  always  been  a  doll,  I  suppose  you  knew 
that,  Cousin  Eunice,  and  to  try  to  procure  one 
exactly  like  the  one  I  have  purchased,  is  very 
presuming  in  you,  to  say  the  least." 

"  And  why  may  I  not  present  a  doll  to  Phron- 
sie  Pepper,  if  I  care  to,  pray  tell  ? "  demanded 
Mrs.  Chatterton  in  a  high,  cold  tone. 

"  Why  ?  because  you  have  always  showed  a 
marked  dislike  for  the  child,"  cried  old  Mr. 
King  angrily,  "  that's  why,  Cousin  Eunice." 

"Grandpapa — Grandpapa,"  said  Phronsie, 
laying  her  hand  on  his  arm. 

"  And  to  parade  any  special  affection,  such 
as  the  presentation  of  a  gift  indicates,  is  a  piece 
of  presumption  on  your  part,  I  say  it  again, 
Cousin  Eunice." 

"  Grandpapa ! "  said  Phronsie  again  at  his 
elbow. 

"  Now,  Phronsie,"  turning  to  her,  "  you  are 
to  take  that  doll,"  pointing  to  a  gorgeous  affair 
reposing  on  the  sofa,  with  Mrs.  Algernon  Chat- 
terton's  card  attached  to  it,  "  and  go  over  to 


482  OF    MANY   THINGS. 

Mrs.  Chatterton,  and  say,  very  distinctly,  '  I 
cannot  accept  this  gift ; '  mind  you  say  it  dis- 
tinctly, Phronsie,  that  there  may  be  no  mistake 
in  the  future." 

"  O,  Grandpapa!"  cried  Phronsie  in  dismay. 

"  Yes,  child  ;  I  know  what  is  best  for  you. 
Take  that  doll,  and  do  exactly  as  I  bid  you." 

A  dreadful  pause  fell  upon  the  room.  Polly 
clasped  her  hands,  while  Alexia  and  the  other 
girls  huddled  into  a  corner  saying  softly,  "Oh  ! 
how  perfectly  dreadful  !  " 

"  No  use  to  say  anything  to  father  when  he 
looks  like  that,"  groaned  Jasper,  when  Polly 
besought  him  to  try  his  influence,  "  his  blood  is 
up  now ;  he's  borne  a  good  deal,  you  know, 
Polly." 

"  O,  dear,  dear ! "  whispered  Polly  back 
again,  "just  look  at  Mrs.  Chatterton's  face,  and 
at  poor  Phronsie's ;  can't  you  do  something, 
Jasper?" 

"  I'm  afraid  not,"  said  Jasper  gloomily.  "  No  ; 
he's  making  her  give  it  back;  see,  Polly." 


OF    MANY   THINGS.  483 

i 

"You  '11  know  it's  for  the  bast,"  Mr.  King 
was  repeating  as  he  led  the  child  to  Mrs.  Chat- 
terton  standing  cold  and  silent  at  the  end  of 
the  room,  "  some  time,  child,  and  then  you'll 
thank  me  that  I  saved  you  from  further  annoy- 
ance of  this  sort.  There,  Cousin  Eunice,  is 
your  gift,"  taking  the  doll  from  Phronsie's  hand, 
and  placing  it  in  the  long,  jeweled  one.  "  My 
little  granddaughter  receives  presents  only  from 
those  who  love  her.  All  others  are  unwar- 
ranted, and  must  be  returned." 

Phronsie  burst  out  tearfully,  "  She's  sorry, 
Grandpapa,  I  know  she  is,  and  she  loves  me 
now.  Please  let  me  keep  the  doll." 

But  Mrs.  Chatterton  had  left  the  room,  the 
doll  in  her  hand. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

AWAY. 

AND    after  that  everybody  had   to  be  as 
gay  as  possible,  to  keep  Phronsie's  sad 
little  face  from  being  flooded  with  tears. 

"  Dear  me  ! "  exclaimed  Jasper,  "  here  comes 
Candace  !  Now  what  do  you  suppose  she  has 
for  you,  Phronsie  ?  " 

Candace  sailed  through  the  doorway  with 
ample  satisfaction  with  everything  and  herself 
in  particular. 

"  Whar's  little  Miss  ? "  she  demanded,  her 
turban  nodding  in  all  directions,  and  her  black 
eyes  rolling  from  side  to  side. 

"  There,  Candace,"  said  some  one,  "  over  in 
the  corner  with  Jasper." 

"Oh!    I  see  her,"    said   Candace,  waddling 
484 

I 


AWAY.  485 

over  to  them.  "  Well,  now,  Phronsie,  seein'  you 
couldn't  come  to  me  for  somethin'  I  made 
'xpressly  fer  you,  w'y,  Candace  has  to  come  to 
you.  See  dat  now,  chile ! " 

She  unrolled  the  parcel,  disclosing  the  won- 
derful doll  adorned  with  Candace's  own  hair, 
and  "  Ole  Missus'  ruffles,"  then  stood  erect, 
her  bosom  swelling  with  pride  and  delight. 

"  Oh,  my  goodness  me  !  "  exclaimed  Alexia, 
tumbling  back  after  the  first  and  only  glance, 
and  nearly  overturning  Cathie  who  was  looking 
over  her  shoulder.  "  Polly  Pepper,  oh  dear 
me ! "  Then  she  sat  down  on  the  floor  and 
laughed  till  she  cried. 

"  Hush  —  hush  !  "  cried  Polly,  running  over 
to  her,  "  do  stop,  Alexia,  and  get  up.  She'll 
hear  you,  and  we  wouldn't  hurt  her  feelings  for 
the  world.  Do  stop,  Alexia." 

"Oh  dear  me!"  cried  Alexia  gustily,  and 
holding  her  sides  while  she  waved  back  and 
forth;  "if  it  had  been  —  a — respectable  doll, 
but  that  —  horror  !  Oh  dear  me  !  " 


486  AWAY. 

"  Stop —  stop  !  "  commanded  Polly,  shaking 
*  her  arm. 

But  Alexia  was  beyond  stopping  herself. 
And  in  between  Candace's  delighted  recital 
how  she  combed  "  de  ha'r  to  take  de  curl  out," 
and  how  "ole  Missus'  ruffles  was  made  into  de 
clothes,"  came  the  peals  of  laughter  that  finally 
made  every  one  in  the  room  stop  and  look  at 
the  girls. 

"  Candace,  come  into  my  '  den  '  and  get  a 
pattern  for  some  new  pins  I  want  you  to  make 
for  me,"  cried  Jasper,  desperately  dragging  her 
off. 

"  It's  no  use  to  lecture  me,"  said  Alexia,  sit- 
ting straight  as  Candace's  feet  shuffled  down 
the  hall,  and  wiping  her  face  exhaustedly.  "  I 
know  it  was  dreadful  —  oh  dear  me!  Don't 
anybody  speak  to  me,  or  I  shall  disgrace  myself 
again  ! " 

"  Now,  Phronsie,  what  do  you  suppose  we  are 
to  do  next  ?  " 

Phronsie  looked  up  into  old  Mr.  King's  face. 


AWAY.  487 

"  I  don't  know,  Grandpapa,"  she  said  wonder- 
ingly. 

"  Well,  now,  my  dear,  you've  had  Punch  and 
Judy,  and  these  nice  children,"  waving  his  hand 
to  indicate  the  delegation  from  the  orphan 
asylum,  "  have  sung  beautifully  for  you.  Now 
what  comes  next,  Phronsie  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  Grandpapa,"  repeated 
Phronsie. 

"  When  gifts  become  burdensome  they  no 
longer  are  kindnesses,"  said  Mr.  King.  "  Now, 
Phronsie,  I  have  found  out  —  never  mind  how  ; 
little  birds,  you  know,  sometimes  fly  around 
telling  people  things  they  ought  to  know. 
Well,  I  have  discovered  in  some  way  that  my 
little  girl  has  too  many  children  to  care  for." 

Here  Phronsie's  brown  eyes  became  very 
wide. 

"  And  when  there  are  too  many  children  in 
the  nest,  Phronsie,  why,  they  have  to  go  out 
into  the  world  to  try  their  fortunes  and  make 
other  homes.  Now  there  are  so  many  poor  lit- 


488  AWAY. 

tie  girls  who  haven't   any  children,   Phronsie. 
Think  of  that,  dear,  and  you  have  so  many." 
Phronsie  at   this  drew  nearer  and    stole   her 
hand  into  his. 

"  Now  what  is  to  be  done  about  it  ?  "  asked 
the  old  gentleman,  putting  his  other  broad  palm 
over  her  little  one  and  holding  it  fast.  "  Hey, 
my  pet  ? " 

"  Can't  we  buy  them  some  children  ?  "  asked 
Phronsie  with  warm  interest.  "  O,  Grandpapa 
dear,  do  let  us  ;  I  have  money  in  my  bank." 

"  Phronsie,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  going  to 
the  heart  of  the  matter  at  once  and  lifting  her 
to  his  lap,  "  I  really  think  the  time  has  come 
to  give  away  some  of  your  dolls.  I  really  do, 
child." 

Phronsie  gave  a  start  of  incredulity  and 
peered  around  at  him. 

"  I  really  do.  You  are  going  abroad  to  be 
gone  —  well,  we'll  say  a  year.  And  your  dolls 
would  be  so  lonely  without  anything  to  do  but 
to  sit  all  day  and  think  of  their  little  mother. 


AWAY.  489 

And  there  are  so  many  children  who  would 
love  them  and  make  them  happy."  Now  Mr. 
King's  white  hair  was  very  near  the  yellow 
waves  floating  over  his  shoulder,  so  that  none 
but  Phronsie's  ears  caught  the  next  words. 
"It's  right,  Phronsie  dear;  I'd  do  it  if  I  were 
you,"  he  said  in  a  low  voice. 

"  Do  you  want  it,  Grandpapa  ? "  asked 
Phronsie  softly. 

"  I  do,  child ;  but  not  unless  you  are  willing  "  — 

"Then  I  do,"  declared  Phronsie,  sitting  quite 
straight  on  his  knee.  And  she  gave  a  relieved 
sigh.  "  O,  Grandpapa,  if  we  only  had  the  poor 
children  now ! "  she  exclaimed,  dreadfully  ex- 
cited. 

"  Come,  then."  Old  Mr.  King  set  her  on  her 
feet.  "  Clear  the  way  there,  good  people  ;  we 
are  going  to  find  some  poor  children  who  are 
waiting  for  dolls,"  and  he  threw  wide  the  door 
into  a  back  passage,  and  there,  presided  over 
by  Jencks,  and  crowding  for  the  first  entrance, 
was  a  score  of  children  with  outstretched  hands. 


49°  AWAY. 

"  Oh  —  oh  !  "  exclaimed  Phronsie  with  cheeks 
aflame. 

"  Please,  he  said  we  was  to  have  dolls,"  cried 
one  hungry-eyed  girl,  holding  out  both  her 
hands.  "  I've  never  had  one.  Please  give  me 
one  quick." 

"  Never  had  one  ?  "  echoed  Phronsie,  taking 
a  step  toward  her. 

"  Only  a  piece,  Miss,  I  found  in  a  rag-barrel. 
Please  give  me  one  quick." 

"She's  never  had  a  doll  —  only  a  piece,"  re- 
peated Phronsie,  turning  back  to  the  family, 
unable  to  contain  this  information. 

"  Ask  the  others  if  they  have  had  any  ?  "  said 
Mr.  King,  leaning  against  a  tall  cabinet.  "  Try 
that  girl  there  in  a  brown  plaid  dress." 

"  Have  you  ever  had  a  doll  ?  "  asked  Phronsie 
obediently,  looking  over  at  the  girl  indicated, 
and  holding  her  breath  for  the  answer. 

At  this,  the  girl  in  the  brown  plaid  dress 
burst  into  tears,  which  so  distressed  Phronsie 
that  she  nearly  cried. 


AWAY.  491 

"Yes,  but  it  died,"  said  the  girl  after  a  little. 

"  O,  Grandpapa,  her  doll  died  !  "  exclaimed 
Phronsie  in  horror. 

"  No,  it  didn't,  Jane,"  corrected  another  girl, 
"  the  dog  et  it ;  you  know  he  did." 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  Jane,  between  small 
sobs,  "  it  died,  and  we  couldn't  have  any  fun'ral, 
'cause  the  dog  had  et  it." 

"  Well,  now,  Phronsie,"  exclaimed  Mr.  King, 
getting  away  from  the  support  of  the  cabinet, 
"  I  think  it's  time  that  we  should  make  some  of 
these  children  happy.  Don't  you  want  to  take 
them  up  to  the  playroom  and  distribute  the 
dolls  ? " 

"No,  no,"  protested  Phronsie  suddenly,  "I 
must  go  up  and  tell  my  children.  They  will 
understand  it  better  then,  Grandpapa.  I'll  be 
back  in  a  very  few  minutes,"  and  going  out  she 
went  quickly  upstairs,  and  after  a  while  returned 
with  both  arms  full. 

"  This  doll  is  for  you,"  she  said  gravely,  put- 
ting a  doll  attired  in  a  wonderful  pink  satin 


49  2 


costume  into  Jane's  arms.  "  I've  told  her  about 
your  dog,  and  she's  a  little  frightened,  so  please 
be  careful/' 

"What's  the  fun  down  there  now?"  asked 
Joel  of  Van,  who 
with  Percy  could 
not  be  persuaded 
to  leave  his  bed- 
side a  moment, 
"  open  the  door, 
do,  and  let's  hear 
it." 

So  Van  threw 
wide  the  door. 

"  Go  out  and 
listen,  Percy,  will 
you  ?  "  he  said. 

"  I  don't  want 
to/1  said  Percy, 
who  shared  Van's 


WITH    BOTH    ARMS    FULL. 


wish  to  keep  in  the  background. 

"  You  two  fellows  act  like   muffs,"  said  Joel. 


AWAY.  493 

"  Now  if  you  want  to  make  me  well,  go  out,  do, 
and  tell  me  what  the  fun  is  going  on  down 
there." 

So  persuaded,  the  two  boys  stole  out  into  the 
hall  in  time  to  see  Phronsie  go  down  the  stairs 
with  her  armful,  and  carefully  using  their  ears 
they  soon  rushed  back  with  "  Phronsie's  giving 
away  her  dolls  !  " 

"Stuff  and  nonsense!"  exclaimed  Joel,  •" if 
you  can't  bring  back  anything  better  than  that 
yarn,  you  might  as  well  stay  here." 

"  But  I  tell  you  it's  true,"  declared  Van,  "  isn't 
it,  Percy  ? " 

"  Yes,  it  is,"  said  Percy.  "  I  heard  her  dis- 
tinctly say,  '  This  doll  is  for  you '  —  and  she  had 
her  arms  full,  so  I  suppose  she's  going  to  give 
those  away  too  "  — 

"  A  likely  story,"  said  Joel,  bursting  into  a 
laugh.  At  the  noise  up  in  the  boys'  room, 
Mother  Fisher  ran  quickly  over  the  stairs. 

"  O,  boys  !  what  is  it  ?    Joel,  are  you  worse  ?  " 

"  No  indeed,"  said  Joel,   "  I  was  laughing. 


494  AWAY. 

Percy  and  Van  have  been  telling  such  a  big 
story.  Mamsie,  they  actually  said  that  Phronsie 
was  giving  away  her  dolls." 

"  Is  that  all  ? "  cried  Mrs.  Fisher  in  relief. 
"Well,  so  she  is,  Joel." 

"  Phronsie  giving  away  her  dolls,  Mamsie  ?" 
screamed  Joel.  "  Why,  what  does  Grandpapa 
say  ?  " 

".He's  the  very  one  that  proposed  it,"  said 
Mrs.  Fisher.  "  There,  Joey,  don't  get  excited, 
for  I  don't  know  what  the  doctor  will  say,"  as 
Joel  sank  back  on  his  pillow,  overcome  by  this 
last  piece  of  news. 

When  Phronsie  went  to  bed  that  night  she 
clasped  Mr.  King's  new  gift  to  her  breast. 

"  Grandpapa,  dear,"  she  said  confidingly  as 
they  went  up  the  stairs  together,  "  do  you  know 
I  really  think  more  of  this  doll,  now  that  the 
others  are  gone  ?  Really  I  do,  Grandpapa,  and 
I  can  take  better  care  of  her,  because  I  shall 
have  more  time." 

"  So   you    will,    dear,"    assented    Mr.    King. 


AWAY.  495 

"  Well,  Phronsie,  I  think  you  and  I,  dear, 
haven't  made  a  bad  day's  work." 

"  I  think  my  children  will  be  happy,"  said 
Phronsie,  with  a  small  sigh,  "  because  you  see 
it's  so  nice  to  make  good  times  for  their  new 
mothers.  And,  Grandpapa,  I  couldn't  play  with 
each  one  more  than  once  a  week.  I  used  to 
try  to,  but  I  couldn't,  Grandpapa." 

"  Why  didn't  you  tell  me,  Phronsie,"  asked 
the  old  gentleman  a  bit  reproachfully  as  they 
reached  the  top  step,  "how  it  was,  dear? 
You  should  have  given  them  away  long  ago." 

"  Ah,  but,"  said  Phronsie,  slowly  shaking  her 
head,  "  I  didn't  want  to  give  them  away 
before  ;  only  just  now,  Grandpapa,  and  I  think 
they  will  be  happy.  And  now  I'm  going  to  take 
this  newest  one  to  bed,  just  as  I  used  to  take 
things  to  bed  years  ago,  when  I  was  a  little 
girl." 

And  after  all,  there  was  an  extension  of  time 
for  the  three  boys'  vacation,  Dr.  Marks  not  get- 
ting up  from  his  sudden  attack  of  fever  as 


496  AWAY. 

quickly  as  was  expected.  But  there  came  a  day 
at  last,  when  Percy,  Van  and  David  bade  Joel 
"  good-by." 

"  It  won't  be  for  long,"  observed  that  in- 
dividual cheerfully,  "  you'll  be  back  in  three 
weeks." 

"  Oh  dear  !  "  groaned  Percy  when  safe  within 
the  coach,  "  we've  ruined  all  his  chances.  He 
certainly  will  be  plucked  now  —  with  those 
three  weeks  to  make  up." 

Van  gathered  himself  up  and  leaned  forward 
in  his  corner. 

"  Don't  look  so,  Dave,"  he  cried  desperately. 

David  tried  to  smooth  the  troubled  lines  out 
of  his  face,  but  only  succeeded  in  making  it 
look  worse  than  before. 

"  And  it  will  kill  Mrs.  Fisher,"  Percy  con- 
tinued gloomily,  "  if  he  does  get  plucked,  as  of 
course  he  will." 

"  Keep  still,  will  you  ?"  cried  Van,  his  irrita- 
tion getting  beyond  bounds.  "  What's  the  use 
in  talking  about  a  thing  till  it's  done,"  which 


AWAY.  497 

had  the  effect  to  make  Percy  remember  his 
promise  to  Polly  and  close  his  mouth. 

But  Joel's  wound  healed  quicker  than  any 
one  supposed  it  possibly  could,  and  Percy  and 
Van  who  both  hated  to  write  letters,  gave  up 
much  time  on  the  playground  to  indite  daily 
bulletins,  so  that  he  declared  that  it  was  almost 
as  good  as  being  there  on  the  spot.  And 
Mother  Fisher  and  her  army  of  servants  cleaned 
the  great  stone  house  from  top  to  bottom,  and 
sorted,  and  packed  away,  and  made  things  tidy 
for  the  new  housekeeper  who  was  to  care  for 
them  in  her  absence,  till  Dr.  Fisher  raised  his 
eyebrows  and  hands  in  astonishment. 

"  I  really  must,"  he  said  one  day,  "  put  in  a* 
remonstrance,  wife,  or  you'll  kill  yourself  before 
we  start." 

"  Oh !  I'm  used  to  working,"  Mrs.  Fisher 
-vould  say  cheerily,  and  then  off  she  would  fly  to 
something  so  much  worse,  that  the  little  doctor 
was  speechless. 

And  Polly  set   herself  at  all  her  studies,  es- 


498  AWAY. 

pecially  French,  with  redoubled  vigor,  notwith- 
standing that  she  was  hampered  with  the  faith- 
ful attentions  of  the  schoolgirls  who  fought 
among  themselves  for  her  company,  and  show- 
ered her  with  pathetic  "Oh  —  dear  —  me  — 
how  —  I  —  shall  —  miss  —  you,"  and  with  tears 
when  they  got  over  it.  And  Jasper  buried  him- 
self in  his  den,  only  bursting  forth  at  meal 
times,  and  Mrs.  Whitney  bemoaned  all  prepara- 
tions for  the  travelers'  departure,  and  wished  a 
thousand  times  that  she  had  not  given  her 
promise  to  keep  the  house  and  look  after  the 
boys.  And  everybody  who  had  the  slightest 
claim  to  a  calling  acquaintance,  now  dropped  in 
upon  the  Kings,  and  Polly  had  her  "  good-by 
party,"  and  it  was  pronounced  perfectly  elegant 
by  Alexia  and  her  set,  and  the  three  boys  came 
home  for  the  long  vacation  —  and  in  two  days 
the  party  would  sail. 

"  Who  do  you  think  is  going  abroad  with  us  ?  " 
asked  Mr.  King  suddenly,  as  they  all  sat  in  the 
library  for  a  last  evening  talk  ;  "  guess  quickly." 


AWAY.  499 

"Who?  "  cried  several  voices. 

"  Why,  I  thought  you  didn't  want  any  out- 
siders, father,"  exclaimed  Jasper  in  surprise. 

"  Well,  and  I  didn't  when  I  said  so,  but  cir- 
cumstances are  changed  now  —  come,  guess 
quickly,  some  one  ?  " 

"  The  Cabots,"  said  Jasper  at  a  venture. 

"  No,  no  ;  guess  again." 

"  Mr.  Alstyne  ?  " 

"  No ;  again." 

"The  Bayleys,  the  Dyces,  the  Herrings," 
shouted  Mr.  Whitney  and  Van  and  Joel. 

"No,  I  know,"  broke  in  Percy,  "it's  Mrs. 
Chatterton,"  with  a  quick  glance  to  make  sure 
that  she  was  not  in  the  room. 

"M>/"  thundered  Mr.  King.  "Oh!  how 
stupid  people  can  be  when  they  want  to.  Two 
persons  are  to  meet  us  in  New  York  to-morrow. 
I  didn't  tell  you  till  I  was  sure  ;  I  had  no  desire 
that  you  should  be  disappointed.  Now  guess 
again." 

"  Aunty,  do  you  know  ?  "  asked  Polly  suddenly, 


500  AWAY. 

leaning  back,  as  she  sat  on  the  rug  in  front  of 
the  fire,  to  lay  her  head  in  Mrs.  Whitney's  lap. 

"  No,  I'm  sure  I  don't,"  said  Mrs.  Whitney, 
stroking  lightly  the  brown  hair,  with  a  pang  to 
think  how  long  it  would  be  before  she  should 
caress  it  again. 

"  How  any  one  can  desire  to  cross  the  ocean," 
remarked  Mr.  Whitney,  folding  his  hands  back  of 
his  head  and  regarding  meditatively  the  glowing 
fire,  "  is  more  than  I  can  see.  That  I  never 
shall  do  it  again  unless  whipped  over,  I'm 
morally  certain." 

"  Are  the  persons  men  ?  "  asked  Ben  suddenly. 

"  One  is,"  replied  Mr.  King. 

"  And  the  other  is  a  woman  ?  " 

"  The  other  is  a  woman,"  said  Mr.  King. 
"  Well,  what  are  their  names.  Isn't  anybody 
smart  enough  to  guess  them  ?  Dear  me,  I've 
always  said  that  the  Peppers  were  remarkably 
bright,  and  the  rest  of  you  children  are  not 
behind  other  young  people.  Go  on,  try  again. 
Now  who  are  they  ? " 


AWAY.  501 

Polly  took  her  head  out  of  Mrs.  Whitney's 
lap,  and  rested  her  chin  in  her  hands,  Davie 
walked  up  and  down  the  room,  while  Ben  and 
the  two  Whitney  boys  hung  over  Mother 
Fisher's  chair. 

"  Dear  me  !  "  fumed  Joel.  "  Who  ever  could 
guess.  There's  such  a  lot  of  people  in  the 
world  that  Grandpapa  knows.  It  might  be  any 
two  of  them  that  he  has  asked." 

Little  Dr.  Fisher's  eyes  roved  from  one  to  the 
other  of  the  group.  "  I  couldn't  begin  to  guess 
because  I  don't  know  many  of  your  friends," 
he  said  quietly. 

"  You  know  these  two  people  very  well," 
said  Mr.  King,  laughing,  to  see  the  little 
man's  face. 

"  Now  I  think  I  know,"  said  Jasper  slowly,  a 
light  coming  into  his  gray  eyes,  "  but  I  don't 
suppose  it's  a  fair  guess,  for  I  saw  the  address 
on  a  letter  father  was  writing  two  or  three 
weeks  ago." 

"  You  did,  you  young  scamp,  you  !  "  cried  Mr. 


502  AWAY. 

King,  turning  on  him.  "  Well,  then,  'tisn't  a 
guess  for  you,  Jasper.  Keep  still,  my  boy,  and 
let  them  work  away  at  it.  Will  no  one  guess  ? " 

"Mamsie,"  cried  Polly,  bounding  up  from  the 
ring,  nearly  upsetting  Phronsie,  who  was  sitting 
beside  her  in  a  brown  study,  "  can  it  be  —  do 
you  suppose  it  is  nice,  dear  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henderson  ? " 

"Well,  Polly,"  said  Mr.  King,  beaming  at 
her,  "  you've  done  what  the  others  couldn't. 
Yes,  it  is  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henderson,  and  they 
are  going  with,  us  to  stay  until  the  autumn." 

"  Good,  good ! "  cried  every  one  till  the  big 
room  seemed  full  of  joy. 

"  O,  father  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Whitney,  "  I'm 
so  glad  you've  done  this.  They  were  so  kind 
to  Dicky  and  to  me  when  he  was  hurt." 

"  They  were  kind  to  Dicky  and  to  you,"  said 
her  father;  "  and  besides,  Marian,  Mr.  Hender- 
son is  a  man  who  doesn't  preach  at  you  only  once 
a  week,  and  Mrs.  Henderson  is  a  fine  woman. 
So  it's  a  pity  not  to  ease  up  things  for  them  now 


AWAY.  503 

and  then.  Well,  how  do  you  like  the  plan  ? " 
He  spoke  to  Dr.  Fisher,  but  his  gaze  took  them 
all  in. 

"Immensely,"  said  the  little  doctor;  which 
being  again  echoed  heartily,  by  all  the  rest,  old 
Mr.  King  began  to  feel  very  much  elated  at  his 
part  in  the  proceedings,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  it  seemed  as  if  the  expedition  had  been 
especially  planned  for  the  benefit  of  the  Hen- 
dersons, so  naturally  had  it  all  come  about. 

And  on  the  morrow,  the  whole  family,  Kings, 
Whitneys,  Fishers  and  Peppers,  turned  their 
backs  on  the  gray  stone  mansion  and  went 
down  to  the  city. 

And  Alexia  Rhys  persuaded  her  aunt  to  do 
her  semi-annual  shopping  at  this  time,  and  to 
take  her  too ;  and  Mr.  Alstyne  also  had  busi- 
ness that  necessitated  his  going,  and  Mr.  Cabot 
and  Mary  Taylor,  and  her  father  found  they 
must  go  along,  too;  and  Hamilton  Dyce  was 
there,  and  Pickering  Dodge,  of  course,  went  to 
be  company  for  Ben  on  the  way  back.  And  at 


504  AWAY. 

the  last  moment  who  should  jump  on  the  train 
but  Livingston  Bayley. 

"  Had  a  telegram,"  he  explained  ;  "  must  be 
there  at  noon.  So  glad  of  the  unexpected  pleas- 
ure of  meeting  you  all." 

And  Cousin  Eunice  Chatterton  went ;  for,  at 
the  last  minute,  she  had  suddenly  discovered 
that  she  had  visited  at  the  gray  stone  mansion 
as  long  as  she  cared  to,  and  notified  the  family 
accordingly.  And  Mr.  King  had  so  far  made 
up  for  his  part  in  the  late  unpleasantness  as  to 
ask  her  to  go  with  the  party,  on  her  way  to  her 
nephew's  in  the  city.  So  there  she  was  with  the 
others,  bidding  them  good-by  on  the  steamer. 

"  Phronsie,"  she  said  slowly,  under  cover  of 
the  babel  of  tongues,  "you.  are  a  good  child, 
and  I've  done  well  by  you.  This  little  bit  of 
paper,"  putting  it  into  her  hand,  "contains  a 
message  to  Mr.  King,  which  you  are  to  give 
him  after  you  have  started." 

"  I  will  go  and  give  it  to  him  now,"  said 
Phronsie,  her  fingers  closing  over  the  bit. 


AWAY.  505 

"  No,  no,"  said  Mrs.  Chatterton  sharply,  "  do 
as  I  say.  Remember,  on  no  account  to  let  any  one 
see  it  till  after  you  have  started.  You  are  a  good 
child,  Phronsie.  Now,  remember  to  do  as  you 
are  bidden.  And  now,  will  you  kiss  me,  child  ?  " 

Phronsie  lifted  her  eyes  and  fixed  them  on 
the  long,  white  face,  and  suddenly  raising  her- 
self to  her  tiptoes,  she  put  up  her  lips. 

"  Look  at  Phron,"  cried  Joel  in  the  midst  of 
the  group,  "  actually  kissing  Mrs.  Chatterton  ! " 
and  everybody  turned  and  stared. 

Cousin  Eunice  dropped  her  veil  with  a  quick 
hand,  and  moved  off  with  a  stately  step,  but  not 
in  time  to  lose  young  Bayley's  drawl  : 

"  Ton  me  word  —  it's  the  most  ex-troar-'nary 
thing.  Phronsie,  come  here,  and  tell  us  what 
'twas  like."  But  Phronsie  stood  quite  still  as  if 
she  had  not  heard. 

"  Yes,  I  hope  you'll  have  a  nice  time,"  Pick- 
ering Dodge  was  saying  for  the  dozenth  time, 
with  eyes  for  no  one  but  Polly,  "  now  don't  stay 
away  for  a  year." 


506  AWAY. 

Polly  with  her  heart  full  of  the  boys,  who 
were  hanging  on  either  side,  answered  at  ran- 
dom. 

"O,  Ben!  I  can't  go,"  she  was  exclaiming, 
and  she  hid  her  head  on  his  shoulder,  so  Pick- 
ering turned  off. 

But  Joel  set  his  teeth  together.  "You  must," 
he  said,  for  Ben  was  beyond  speech  with  the 
effort  to  control  himself. 

"  I  can't,"  said  poor  Polly,  "  leave  you,  Ben, 
and  the  boys." 

And  then  Mrs.  Whitney  came  up  just  as 
Polly  was  near  breaking  down. 

"  My  dear  child,"  she  said,  taking  Polly's 
hands,  "  you  know  it  is  right  for  you  to  go." 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  Polly,  fighting  her  tears. 

"  Then,  Polly,  be  brave,  dear,  and  don't  be- 
grudge me  my  three  new  boys,"  she  added  play- 
fully. "  Just  think  how  happy  I'm  to  be,  with 
six  such  splendid  fellows  to  call  my  own." 

Polly  smiled  through  her  tears. 

"  And  one   thing  more,"   said  Mrs.  Whitney 


AWAY.  509 

in  a  low  voice,  "  when  you  feel  badly,"  looking 
steadily  at  Polly  and  the  three  boys,  "  remember 
what  Dr.  Fisher  said  ;  that  if  your  mother  didn't 
stop  working,  and  rest,  she  would  break  down." 

"I'll  remember,"  said  Ben  hoarsely. 

"  So  will  I,"  said  David. 

"  And  I  will,"  said  Joel,  looking  everywhere 
but  into  Polly's  eyes. 

"Well,  I  hope,  Miss  Polly,"  said  young  Mr. 
Bayley,  sauntering  up,  "  that  you'll  have  an  un- 
commonly nice  time,  I  do  indeed.  I  may  run 
across  in  September ;  if  I  do,  we  shall  probably 
meet." 

"  Miss  Mary  Pepper  ? "  suddenly  asked  a 
man  with  a  huge  basket  of  flowers,  and  pausing 
in  front  of  her. 

Young  Mr.  Bayley  smiled  indulgently  as  he 
could  not  help  reading  the  card  thrust  into  the 
flowers.  "  She  will  receive  my  flowers  at  in- 
tervals all  the  way  over,  if  the  steward  doesn't 
fail  me,"  he  reflected  with  satisfaction,  "  while 
this  boy  s  will  fade  in  an  hour." 


510  AWAY. 

"  Miss  Mary  Pepper  ?  "  the  florist's  messenger 
repeated,  extending  the  basket  to  Polly. 

"  It's  for  you,  Miss  Polly,"  said  young  Mr. 
Bayley.  "  Let  me  relieve  you,"  taking  the  bas- 
ket. 

"  Oh  !  are  they  for  me  ?  "  cried  Polly. 

"  I  believe  you  are  Miss  Mary  Pepper,"  said 
young  Bayley.  "  Pretty,  aren't  they  ?  "  fingering 
the  roses,  and  glad  to  think  that  there  were 
orchids  among  the  flowers  to  which  his  card  was 
attached,  and  just  placed  under  the  steward's 
care. 

"  I  suppose  I  am,"  said  Polly,  with  a  little 
laugh,  "  but  it  seems  as  if  I  couldn't  be  any- 
thing but  Polly  Pepper.  Oh !  thank  you,  Pick- 
ering, for  these  lovely  roses,"  catching  sight  of 
him.  . 

"  Glad  you  like  them,"  said  Pickering  radi- 
antly. "  Say,  Polly,  don't  stay  away  a  whole 
year,  will  you  ?  " 

Young  Mr.  Bayley  set  the  basket  in  his  hand 
and  turned  on  his  heel  with  a  smile. 


AWAY.  511 

"  Come,  Polly,  I  want  you,"  cried  Alexia,  try- 
ing to  draw  her  off,  "you  know  she's  my  very 
best  friend,  Pickering,  and  I  haven't  had  a 
chance  to  say  one  word  to  her  this  morning. 
Come,  Polly." 

"  Polly,  come  here,"  called  Mrs.  Fisher. 

"  O,  dear !  "  cried  Alexia  impatiently,  "  now 
that's  just  the  way  it  always  is.  It's  Polly  here, 
and  Polly  there,"  as  Polly  deserted  her  and  ran 
off  with  her  basket  of  roses. 

"  You  don't  do  any  of  the  calling,  of  course," 
said  Pickering,  with  a  laugh. 

"Well,  I'll  have  her  to  myself,"  declared 
Alexia  savagely,  "  before  it's  time  for  us  to  get 
off  the  steamer,  see  if  I  don't." 

"  I  don't  believe  it,"  said  Pickering.  "Look 
at  her  now  in  a  maelstrom  of  relatives.  You 
and  I,  Alexia,  are  left  out." 

And  the  next  thing  Alexia  knew  somebody 
unceremoniously  helped  her  from  the  steamer 
with  a  "  Beg  pardon.  Miss,  but  you  must  get 
off,"  and  she  was  standing  on  the  wharf  in  a 


512  AWAY. 

crowd  of  people,  looking  in  a  dazed  way  at 
Polly  Pepper's  fluttering  handkerchief,  while 
fast-increasing  little  ripples  of  greenish  water 
lay  between  them. 

And  Phronsie  was  running  up  to  Mr.  King : 
"  Here,  Grandpapa,  Mrs.  Chatterton  wanted 
me  to  give  you  this,"  unclasping  her  warm  lit- 
tle palm  where  the  bit  of  white  paper  lay. 

"The  Dickens  she  did,"  exclaimed  the  old 
gentleman  ;  "  so  she  has  had  a  last  word  with 
you,  has  she  ?  Well,  she  won't  get  another  for 
a  long  spell ;  so  never  mind.  Now,  let's  see  what 
Cousin  Eunice  says.  Something  interesting,  no 
doubt."  He  spread  the  crumpled  bit  straight 
and  read,  Phronsie  standing  quite  still  by  his 
side : 

COUSIN'  HORATIO  : 

I  have  made  Phronsie  Pepper  my  sole  heir.  You  may 
like  it  or  not,  as  you  please.  The  thing  is  done,  and 
may  God  bless  Phronsie. 

EUNICE  CHATTERTON 


BY    TCHRGKRBT    SIDNEY. 
12ino,  illustrated,  $1.5O. 

"  Was  there  ever  a  more  charming  story  for  children  than 
the  '  Five  Little  Peppers  '  ?  That  book  at  onCe  took  its  place 
among  the  classics  for  children." —  Golden  Rule, 

"  A  book  of  home  life  and  love.  It  tells  the  story  of  a  poor 
family,  obliged  to  pinch  and  plan  and  scrimp  from  day  to  day  ; 
but  the  members  are  so  imbued  with  the  home-spirit  as  to 
make  the  little  brown  house  in  which  they  live  a  genuine 
paradise."  —  Chicago  Interior. 

"  It  is  not  one  of  the  professed  Christmas  books,  but  there 
is  enough  Christmas  feeling  in  it  for  six."  —  Boston  Budget. 

"  Of  all  books  for  juvenile  readers  not  one  possesses  more 
of  the  peculiar  qualities  which  go  to  make  up  a  perfect  story. 
It  ought,  for  the  lesson  it  teaches,  to  be  in  the  hands  of  every 
boy  and  girl  in  the  country."  —  Boston  Transcript. 

"  If  the  book  had  no  other  worth,  it  would  be  valuable  as  a 
refutation  of  the  cynical  old  saying,  that,  '  when  want  comes 
in  at  the  door,  love  flies  out  at  the  window.'  The  little  Pep- 
pers were  very  poor,  but  very  happy  and  affectionate  in  spite 
of  it." — Boston  Journal. 

"  The  author  shows  inventive  power  and  much  insight  into 
the  mysterious  depths  of  child  nature." —  Western  Christian 
Advocate.  4 

"  It  cannot  but  have  a  beneficial  influence  on  the  disposition 
of  every  little  reader."  —  Chicago  Journal. 

"  This  story  abounds  in  amusing  incidents  to  please  the 
children,  and  at  the  same  time  instills  lessons  of  unselfish  love 
and  attention  to  duty."  —  Boston  Times. 

"  It  is  one  of  the  brightest,  breeziest,  most  natural  and  most 
enjoyable  of  the  portraitures  of  children's  home  life  in  America 
—  the  paradise  of  childhood.'1  —  Christian  Observer,  Louisville. 

"  There  is  so  strong  a  love  of  humanity  impelling  the  pen  of 
Margaret  Sidney  that  in  whatever  she  writes  she  makes  inter- 
esting the  homeliest  and  most  ordinary  aspects  of  daily  life, 
and  imparts  to  duty  the  glory  of  doing  and  to  virtue  its  own 
reward."  —  Chicago  Inter-Ocean. 

Illustrated  Quarto  Edition  now  ready,  only  25  cts. 
At  the  Bookstores,  or  sent  postpaid  on  receipt  of  price  by 

D.  LOTHROP  COMPANY,  Publishers,  Boston. 


FIVE  LITTLE  PEPPERS  Ml  IIP 

Sequel  to  Five  Little  Teppers  Midway 

By  MARGARET  SIDNEY. 

12mo,  illustrated,  $2.50. 

"  Five  Little  Peppers  and  How  They  Grew  "  and  "  Five 
Little  Peppers  Midway  "  had  gone  forth  to  delight  all  children 
and  those  who  love  children.  But  these  did  not  satisfy  the 
vast  audience  that  hang  waiting  on  Margaret  Sidney's  written 
words.  "  And  then  what  ?  "  "  What  happened  next?  "  they 
cried.  And  so  the  third  "  Peppers  "  book  was  written,  and 
now  we  have  "  Five  Little  Peppers  Grown  Up."  It  is  almost 
a  pity  that  they  must  grow  up,  but  that  is  what  children  do  in 
real  life,  and  this  story  can  but  follow.  Even  Phronsie  is 
getting  to  be  a  big  girl  now,  though  not  losing  her  childlike 
innocence  and  trust.  She  is  the  same  "  Phronsie  Pepper  "  and 
always  will  be.  Her  nose  is  a  little  "  out  of  joint,"  for  there  is 
a  new  baby  now  to  be  catered  to,  a  little  King-Fisher,  who 
is  nearly  spoiled  with  pettings.  But  Phronsie  is  not  spoiled, 
nor  Polly  either,  though  everybody  conspires  to  do  it.  But 
the  mother's  teaching  and  their  own  good  sense  keep  them 
simple  and  true.  Polly  bravely  starts  out  as  music-teacher, 


and  not  only  succeeds  in  the  technique  of  her  work,  but  also, 

ing  her  young  pupils   to  lar^ 
Of   course  she  has  hosts  of   admirers,~and  it  is  a  matter  of 


in  stimulating  her  young  pupils   to  larger  and  nobler  efforts. 


intense  interest  which  one  of  her  eager  lovers  thg  little  maiden 
will  accept. 

Ben  and  Jasper  begin  their  business  careers,  and  Joel  and 
Dave  are  college  students  with  the  usual  experiences  of  young 
collegians.  There  are  some  graphic  descriptions  of  the  book 
publishing  business  in  which  Jasper  engages.  Various  new 
characters  are  introduced,  and  the  story' winds  in  and  out 
among  them  all  with  that  bright  sparkle  of  animated  life  which 
marks  all  of  Margaret  Sidney's  stories. 

Throughout  the  book,  there  is  a  realization  not  only  of 
physical  growth,  but  of  the  growth  of  noble  character.  And 
yet  there  is  no  preaching,  save  what  comes  indirectly  by 
example ;  and  the  young  people  are  bright  and  rollicking, 
healthy  and  heartv,  and  enjoy  life  without  stint.  It  is  books 
like  these  which  inspire  and  encourage  young  people  to  be 
brave  and  true,  manly  and  womanly  in  all  the  relations  of  life. 
For  sale  at  the  bookstores,  or  tent  postpaid,  on  receipt  of  price,  by 

D.  LOTHROP  COMPANY,  Publishers,  Boston,  Mass. 


THE  POT  OF  GOLD. 


BV  7USHRY   E. 

12mo,  81.50.    Fully  Illustrated. 

A  new  book  by  Miss  Wilkins  is  'an  event  in  literature,  and 
an  announcement  of  the  first  volume  of  her  juvenile  stories 
will  be  welcomed  not  only  by  young  people  but  by  all  who 
have  come  to  love  and  honor  her  for  her  wonderfully  faithful 
pictures  of  New  England  life. 

The  realistic  element  which  is  so  marked  a  feature  of  her 
storres  for  adults  is  blended  with  another  style  of  writing  in 
the  collection  which  makes  up  "  The  Pot  of  Gold."  Hereto- 
fore we  have  seen  Miss  Wilkins  at  her  best  in  her  simple, 
natural  portraitures  of  plain,  homely  country  folk,  whose  hum- 
ble joys  and  sorrows  she  has  painted  with  wonderful  skill. 
But  there  is  another  side  to  her  nature,  in  which  she  fairly 
revels  in  the  fanciful,  the  humorous  and  the  romantic,  and  de- 
lights in  giving  the  reins  to  her  imagination.  Nothing  can  be 
more  delicious  than  these  flights  of  fancy  and  the  fun  and 
drollery  with  which  they  abound. 

The  last  part  of  the  volume  is  made  up  of  stories  of  child 
life  in  the  olden  days  of  New  England,  and  describes  some  of 
the  customs  of  those  earlier  times,  when  childhood  was  not 
the  paradise  it  now  is.  These  have  the  flavor  of  the  soil,  and 
are  as  quaint  and  old-fashioned  as  the  characters  themselves. 
Many  an  older  reader  will  delight  in  these  quaint,  old-time 
pictures  of  Puritan  days. 

The  book  is  beautifully  gotten  up,  printed  on  superfine 
paper,  with  illustrations  by  W.  L.  Taylor,  Childe  Hassam, 
Barnes,  Bridgman  and  other  popular  artists.  The  binding,  in 
robin's-egg  blue  with  gold  and  silver  design,  is  simply  exquisite. 

»*»  At  the  bookstores,  or  sent  postpaid  on  receipt  of  price,  by 

D.  LOTHROP  COMPANY,  Boston,  Mass. 


THE 


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Hall  in  the  Grove  (The) 

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Household  Puzzles 

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Judge  Burnham's  Daughters 
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21.  Little  Fishers  and  their  Nets 

22.  Links  in  Rebecca's  Life 

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28.  New  Graft  on  the  Fam.ly  Tree  (A 

29.  One  Commonplace  Day 

30.  Pocket  Measure  (The) 

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32.  Ruth  Erskine's  Crosses 

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from  the  Life  of  Jesus 
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74.  Gertrude's  Diary 

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81.  Stories  of  Great  Men 

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By  Mr.  G.     83.  Storv  of  Puff      ' 

84.  Side' by  Side 

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